So... much... rain!

Hello, everybody! We've reached the end of January and I couldn't be happier. Rain and gloomy skies have shrouded the month in darkness far too often over the past 31 days. On the rare occasion the sun does peek through the clouds, boy, does my energy level skyrocket and my mood improve. For all of you who live in climates with abundant sunshine--I hope you appreciate each and every day. Will February be any different? Probably not, but at least it's a bit shorter than January... Thank goodness we have this wonderful hobby of making thousands of tiny x's in fabric to help us through the long winters in these northern climates!

Those of you on Instagram  may know that I began a monthly ornament stitch along (SAL) back in 2021. It's proven to be very popular and I've met some great new stitching friends through it. If you'd care to join in on the fun, just use the #12in24ornamentstitchalong when you post a new ornament on Instagram and I'll be sure to see it. And if you'd like to follow my account on IG, you can click here and hit the follow button. 

So, would you like to see my very first ornament of 2024? As soon as I saw this design, I instantly knew I wanted to stitch it on black! This is called "Christmas Card" and is by Crocette a Gogò. I also knew I wanted it to be on the small side so I stitched it "over one" on 25 ct. black Lugana. Most of the suggested threads were used, although I did change the lettering to black.

Christmas Card by Crocette a Gogò

It's just such a happy ornament with that pair of cardinals, the red and white poinsettias, and the tiny Christmas trees and berries. I love it! I wanted to show you a close-up of the topper I added to the gingham bow. I simply cut little leaves (from the back) of one of my dried boxwood wreaths, glued them on to the ribbon individually (using Aleene's Original Tacky Glue), and then glued on the red and white beads. I am not a hot glue gun lover--I find it dries too quickly and leaves a mess. The Aleene's glue allows me more time to adjust the placement of tiny things like the beads and simply leaves a cleaner look, in my opinion.

It's the little details that make ornament finishing really special!

My next finish was a long time coming! Honestly, I have no idea when I actually stitched this, but I'm guessing it was at least 20 years ago because it is stitched on Aida and I haven't used Aida in many, many years. This is one of a series of cute cat designs by Calico Crossroads and is called "Meooow.com." I found it buried in a drawer of old "unfinished finishes" and decided it would be a perfect birthday gift for my middle son who has a black cat (well, his cat, Spike, does have some white on his tummy and paws) and whose job involves a great deal of computer work. My son loved the old-fashioned computer  and that mischievous cat trying to capture the mouse. And look at the calendar in the upper right--there's even a lounging black cat pictured on it! Such a charming little piece... I framed it in a Dollar Store frame--not a perfect fit, but definitely fine for a fun little piece like this! (There is a shadow on the upper part of the frame making it look a little off-center, but in real life, it looks much better).

A long overdue finish of "Meooow.com" by Calico Crossroads

I've also been working on a couple of larger Christmas pieces as I decided I wanted some bigger things to display at Christmas time in addition to all of my ornaments. Hope to have those ready to show you next month! A small Valentine's day piece will be in the mix, too--I try to stitch at least one new one each year.

I know I've mentioned many times how much I appreciate the kind emails and comments that I receive each time I post. Every now and then I also receive gifts from sweet friends who surprise me totally out of the blue. One of these gifts arrived earlier this month from my Instagram friend Theresa B. (tbornsewterry on Instagram) who wanted to thank me for my blog and the inspiration she's received from it. Oh, my! I was speechless as I opened her package which contained two lovely ornament charts, two packs of needles, and eight beautiful overdyed threads--all in Christmas colors. I am still shaking my head in wonder at this gift--it truly touched my heart. Thank you so very much, Theresa!

Surprise gifts from Theresa B.

And from another Instagram friend, Claire, came a very special package filled with the most lovely wool felt in all shades of the rainbow! Claire (blackberryhill1 on Instagram) makes  gorgeous wool strawberries each month and I knew she would be the person to ask about felt for a new endeavor I'm taking on. She not only gave me great advice, but offered to send me some of her wool felt scraps to use! So very generous and kind... Another gift that truly touched my heart. Thank you so very much, Claire!

A beautiful lot of wool felt from Claire B.

A new endeavor... So, why was I inquiring about felt? Well, last December, I became thoroughly enchanted by the darling felt Advent calendar creations on Instagram by "What a Curly Life." You can see them right here on her website, too--and they're free to download (just click on PDF patterns and tutorials)! On Instagram, she also offered video tutorials for each one, too, which will be so helpful. I plan to make this little penguin first. So far, I've only cut out the pieces. I hope to make all of the animals to give to my grandson next Christmas to hang on his tree. He adores animals so I think they'll be a big hit, if I can manage the sewing of them :) Wish me luck!

A little penguin ready to be sewn together!

With any luck, my penguin will look as cute as this little guy created by Anabella at "What a Curly Life"! Thank you, so very much for your darling patterns, Anabella!

I also won a giveaway! Shelly over at "An Arizona Stitcher" was having a giveaway for the chart below called "A Christmas Sampler." It was one I had never seen so I threw my name into the hat and was the lucky winner! I do plan on having a giveaway for this chart after I've stitched it, so please keep an eye out for it. Thank you so very much, Shelly!

I was the lucky winner of this cute sampler last month!

Birthdays--for me and my blog! Well, I'm proud to say that this little blog of mine, "Stitching Dreams," celebrated its 15th birthday on January 24th. Can you believe it? I sure can't... What started out as a simple way to document my stitching has turned into a true feeling of belonging in the most wonderful online community! I had no idea, when I began blogging that cold January day back in 2009 that it would lead to the amazing friendships, exchanges, inspiration, and fun that I've experienced over the past fifteen years. Thank you all for visiting me all these years. You've touched my heart in countless ways and I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

And my own birthday on the 16th, although extremely quiet this year, was quite nice. It was so very cold that day that I didn't even want to leave the house, so my husband picked up a wonderful dinner from a local restaurant along with some tasty cupcakes and we had a simple birthday celebration--just the two of us. After dinner, my husband surprised me with a little "Zoom" party with all of the kids in attendance. That was fun and a good way to have all of us together across the miles. 

I want to thank some sweet blogging friends for their kind birthday gifts and cards...

Such a cute stitched snowman card from Gabi in Germany! Thank you so much, Gabi!

Vickie at "A Stitcher's Story" made the prettiest set of beaded pins for me. I know they'll look great on summery finishes! Thank you so much, Vickie!

Robin in Virginia included a sweet set of cross-stitch themed stickers in her card. Thank you so much, Robin!

And from June over at "Butterfly Wings" came a lovely stitched card in my favorite color, some flower buttons and summery beach charts, a notebook adorned with birds, and a little pouch from her home in Devon, England. Thank you so much, June!

So, January comes to an end... And with that, I'll be changing out the corner cupboard in my kitchen to February's red and pink and white. Another year is flying by already, isn't it? Hope each of you has a wonderful month ahead. As always, thank you for visiting and taking the time to say "hello!" I owe a few of you emails and I'll do my best to get back to you this week. As always, if you have a question for me, please be sure to leave your email in your comment so I can respond! Bye for now...

My January corner cupboard all ready for its February makeover!

A joyous Christmas finish!

Only five days left until April! Can you believe it? Well, I certainly can't; here in my part of Pennsylvania we've had a frigid weekend that, sadly, included more snow. This morning I woke up to a fresh inch... Not much accumulation, but, honestly--we've had enough of the white stuff this year. Many of you are sharing photos of spring blooms and flowering trees and I have to admit to being just a bit envious. Our daffodil shoots are finally sprouting, but that's it. How are things in your part of the world?

Do you remember when I wrote that I'd really like to stitch some larger pieces for Christmas this year in addition to my normal ornaments? Well, I'm thrilled to share my first "big" one of 2022: "A Joyous Christmas" by Birds Of a Feather. The amazing thing, is that this wasn't even one I ever dreamed of stitching because the chart is so hard to find. But, you all know about the kindness and generosity of our stitching community, don't you? A fellow stitcher all the way across the country offered--yes, offered--to let me borrow hers. I didn't even ask her! I was truly touched... 

Birds of a Feather "A Joyous Christmas"

Don't you look at it and just smile? I sure do!  I honestly think I loved stitching this piece more than any I've done (well, except for the gold metallic threads that I put off  'til the very end!). Each little figure and bird and lamb was so enjoyable! I love the expressions on the faces and the simple, folk art appearance of the entire design.

A Wise Man and a shepherd with his flock of lambs

The gold metallic threads are in portions of the star, the angels' trumpets, and the  gifts of the Wise Men. There isn't a lot of it, just enough to make the whole piece shine (and to make me understand why I don't stitch with metallic threads unless I have to!).

The angels rejoice with the Holy Family

 

"A Joyous Christmas" is stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle linen with a variety of overdyed threads and DMC. For the most part, I stuck to the suggested colors, but there were a few changes, most notably to Mary's hair (I darkened it from blonde to Weeks Dye Works Charcoal) and the wording which I also did in WDW Charcoal. I also changed the paler skin tones to DMC 950. And I just had to add a comma after the word "earth!"

Two more Wise Men arrive bearing gifts

 

Rather than stitching the year in each upper corner as was charted, I substituted snowflakes. I am truly thrilled with how this one turned out and I can't wait to get it framed. 

Peace on earth, good will toward men

 

The same stitcher who let me borrow the nativity scene chart, lent me the BOAF "Christmas Angel Ornaments" chart as well, so I'll be stitching a couple of these pretty angels very soon. 

Which angel should I stitch first? I'm leaning toward the Peace one for obvious reasons.

I'm not sure if the kind stitcher who shared these BOAF charts with me reads my blog (I know her from Instagram), but I hope she knows just how much I truly appreciate her kindness and generosity. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

So, on to my next big Christmas piece--what will it be? 

Freebies for Spring and Easter... I've had many requests for older freebies that I've previously stitched and shown on my blog. Some I can help with, others I can't... My advice when it comes to freebies is to immediately print them off or save a copy to your computer because, often, the pages that contain them are taken down. I was recently asked what advice I would give to a new stitcher and that would be to start with something small. I've seen several people take on a mammoth project only to be turned off by the sheer size of it and decide they don't enjoy stitching at all!  I assume most of you who read "Stitching Dreams" are already stitchers, but perhaps you have a friend or family member who would like to get started? In that case, one of these twelve Spring and Easter themed freebies linked below might be perfect:

Spring Bunny Freebie by Annie Beez Folk Art 

Easter Delivery by Shannon Christine Designs 

Spring Freebies by Whilst Iris Naps 

Happy Easter by La Comtesse & Le Point de Croix 

Hoppy Easter by The Nebby Needle 

Spring by Sylvia's Kreuzstich Liebe 

Waiting for Spring by My Happy Memories 

Easter 2 by Aliolka Design 

Spring Chick Crock by Pinker n Punkin 

Easter Bunny by Tiny Modernist 

Carrot Patch by Cosmic Handmade 

Happy Easter by amintkipattan.blogspot 

There are many more Spring and Easter themed free cross stitch charts out there--just use Google to search for them. Happy spring stitching! 

Giveaway winner... I had quite a few entries for the charming Spring House Trio chart. Unfortunately, some of you forgot to include your email address. I need your email as I have no way of contacting the winner if you don't have your own blog. Anyway, the name pulled from the hat as the winner of Spring House Trio is...

Carolyn K. 

Congratulations, Carolyn! Please email me with your mailing address and I'll get the chart off to you as soon as possible. 

 

 

So, who would like to win the cute Little House Needleworks "Spot of Coffee" chart shown below? (This was also a gift from the generous Janet in Texas who told me I could use it as a giveaway. Thank you again, Janet!). I am not a coffee drinker (although I do love coffee flavored things, especially ice cream)! How about you? If you'd like to win this chart: 

1) Specifically mention that you would like to win the chart in your comment 

2) Be a follower in my blog's sidebar (to the right)

3) Make sure to leave your email address in your comment if I don't already have it--(this is very important as I have no way of getting in touch with the winner if you don't)

4) Answer the "Getting to Know You" question below.

 

If you would like to win this chart, please follow the guidelines listed above.

Getting to Know You... I thoroughly enjoyed reading your answers to the previous "Getting to Know You" question about whether you saved things from your childhood. Thank you so much for participating! I love getting to know my readers! My question for today is: "Are you a picky eater?" Oh, boy, I'm hanging my head in shame here. Sadly, I've never outgrown my picky eater phase and those darn green vegetables still torment me. I'll eat just about any other color vegetable (I even love beets!), but those green-hued veggies like spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts are something I just can't swallow even though I'm in my late 60s! How about you? Is there a food that you just can't eat?

We had a wonderful visit with Mister B and his family last week who were here to celebrate my oldest son's 40th birthday. I still can't believe I have a son that old! I remember my early 40s very well as that is the age I returned to work at the library (after a ten year "vacation" when my sons were growing up) and we remodeled our entire house from top to bottom (while living in it complete with three extremely busy boys and one very lively black cat!). 

This is the cake I made my son for his birthday--a decadent flourless chocolate cake that I've shared with you before in this post. You can find the recipe for the cake here and the recipe for the chocolate glaze right here (I only made half of the glaze since this is just a one layer cake).

To decorate it, I simply printed off some cute sayings from the internet and attached them to wooden skewers. A pretty doily helped make the lacy looking design of powdered sugar around the edge of the cake.

 

Mister B's vocabulary is exploding each day and there was nothing better than seeing his giant smile and hearing him greet us each time we walked into a room! He loved following us around and "helping" with this or that and he had the best time playing with that giant basket of Matchbox and Hot Wheel cars I had saved from my sons' childhoods. We'll be seeing him again in just a few weeks--can't wait!

Mister B learns how to attach a new license plate!

 

So, that wraps up another month. One third of the year 2022 is over...  I do  hope that the next time I check in with you the weather is warmer and the world is heading toward a more peaceful existence. Take care now and thank you for visiting me today! I'm so happy to welcome all of you new followers, too. Bye for now...

♣♣♣ Seeing green ♣♣♣

Hello, my friends! Everywhere I look, green is popping up and I love it! I honestly think St. Patrick's Day with its accompanying green theme comes around at the perfect time of year. The days are longer (hooray!),  thoughts of Easter and renewal are on our minds, and gardeners are beginning to see tiny green sprouts popping up from the brown dirt. (Well, I won't dwell on the fact that we were hit with over 7 inches of snow on Saturday! The good thing is that it will melt quickly as our temperatures are going to be in the 60's this week). Green is everywhere and guess what you're getting in this post? Lots of green--hope you like that color!

I talked about falling in love with the sweet Perrette Samouiloff designs in this post from 2019. Those little children just capture my heart and when I saw this St. Patrick's Day design I couldn't stitch it fast enough. I mean--how cute are those little Irishmen? I have to say that is the first time I ever stitched a mug of beer! Or a fiddle!

My latest St. Patrick's Day finish

 

This one was stitched on 40 ct. Woodland Newcastle (have you noticed how often I use that fabric?) with DMC colors. I used most of the suggested threads, but moved them around a bit and added a few more ferns and plants to fill out the bottom. I had the frame in my stash ($3.00 from Goodwill) and I originally was going to chalk paint it white. However, I ended up leaving it just as it was and I'm so glad I did. I love the little gold band around the inner edge. I added the ecru colored ric rak to just the top and bottom of the finish to even out the margins of green gingham a bit--love how it turned out! 

 

I love the endearing designs of Perrette Samouiloff!

Here is a better photo of the piece before I mounted and framed it... Isn't is charming?

Looks like they're in for a fabulous St. Patrick's Day celebration!

 

Unfortunately, I believe the chart is only available in the book, Un Air de Fête by Perrette Samouiloff, which I purchased on Amazon a few years ago and no longer see listed... Those of you living in Europe may have a better chance of finding a copy of the book, though. It is a darling book with charts for celebrations throughout the year. 

 

Even more green stitching appeared in the form of this sweet chart by Carol Hodge in England. The chart is available in her Etsy shop called "Samplers and Stitches" which you can find right here. Isn't it sweet? She has designed a chart for each season so I plan on purchasing the others soon! I used the suggested overdyed colors for some of it, but substituted DMC threads for the word Spring, the vine, and the yellow flowers. Can you spy the tiny chick popping out of his egg in the bottom middle? Just...too...cute!

My latest Spring finish from "Samplers and Stitches" Etsy shop

I stitched this one on 40 ct. white Newcastle linen and added mini pompoms to the bunny tails. Doesn't it look sweet in my kitchen corner cupboard? I've been gradually decorating for Easter and this was the first shelf I finished.  Bunnies and chicks and lots of bright green and yellow really brighten my kitchen!

Those pretty pastels are such a treat after a long winter

 

In other stitching news... I'm almost done stitching the special Christmas piece that I've been teasing you with! Hope to share it with you in my next post. I've also been working on my Christmas ornament for April and another special project using Aurifloss threads by Aurifil which I'll tell you more about next month. I will give you a hint though--shades of blue. 

Giveaway winner... I had quite a few entries for the cute Lizzie Kate Sampling Easter chart. Unfortunately, many, many of you forgot to include your email address. I need your email as I have no way of contacting the winner if you don't already have a blog. Anyway, the name pulled from the hat as the winner of Spring Sampling is...

CATHY H. (from Arkansas)!

Congratulations to Cathy H! Please contact me with your mailing address, Cathy, and I'll get this cutie to you as soon as possible!

 

Imagine my surprise when a reader (and now a new friend!), Janet from Texas, emailed offering to send me some charts that I could use in my giveaways. Not just some--but a giant box of over 60! I was gobsmacked (I love that delightful British expression!) to say the least. She said she just couldn't bear to give them to Goodwill and she had no local friends to share them with. Just look at what came my way...there are so many cute designs--something for everyone's taste, I'd say. Thank you so very much, Janet--that was incredibly generous and kind of you! I know my stitching friends will be so appreciative to have a chance to win these over the coming months and I'm sure they will keep the kindness going by passing them along to other stitchers.

An abundance of charts from my new friend, Janet! Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!

So, why not start spreading the kindness right now? This sweet "Spring House Trio" chart by Waxing Moon Designs was one I received from Janet. Who would like to win it? To enter the giveaway please: 

1) Specifically mention that you would like to win the chart in your comment 

2) Be a follower in my blog's sidebar (to the right)

3) Make sure to leave your email address in your comment if I don't already have it--(this is very important as I have no way of getting in touch with the winner if you don't)

4) Answer the "Getting to Know You" question below.

To enter the giveaway for this sweet spring chart, please follow the four guidelines listed above.

Getting To Know You... Today's question is: Are you a saver or do you like to clear things out? Have you saved anything from your childhood or your children's? My answer: The only things I own from my childhood are my (slightly) creepy looking Santa doll, a little prayer book from the early 1960s, my beads earned from my time as a Camp Fire Girl, and a lovely handmade ceramic heart made by one of my maternal grandmother's dearest friends on the occasion of my birth. I do have the baby book where my mom recorded a few of my milestones and some old photos, of course. 

 

A few remaining treasures from my childhood

 

As for the second part of the question--yes! I've saved many toys and books from when my sons were little and I'm so happy I did! Mister B loves playing with the toys and reading the books when he visits--in fact he'll be here for a visit later this week and I can't wait. My sons actually love seeing the old toys and books come out of the attic, too, and reminiscing. If you have the room, I highly recommend storing at least a few special books and toys for possible grandchildren. Being a retired librarian, I kept three very large cardboard boxes full of books from my sons' childhoods, of course :) 

Mister B (enjoying the snowfall in Maryland on Saturday) is coming for a visit this weekend! These cars and books (and more!) will be waiting for him. He hasn't played with the cars yet, but when we showed him this basket filled to the brim with vehicles of all kinds on FaceTime, his eyes grew wide and he exclaimed, "Wowwww!" 

Baking... I'll leave you with one of my very favorite recipes which I've been making for years: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. 

One of my favorite cookies ever!

The plate I have them on is so cute and I thought it was perfect for St. Patrick's Day. I got it from the "free" table at the library when I worked there many years ago. 

Look at the festive dancers surrounding this plate--so darling--(along with the lady milking her cow and the man plowing his fields). I absolutely love this plate.

Here is the recipe if anyone cares to bake some! Don't skip that first step--I truly think that's the key to the wonderful taste of these cookies...

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I've gone on far too long, as usual! I hope you enjoyed this "green" post and if any of you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, I hope you have a wonderful day. I have a tiny bit of Irish in me according to my middle sister who has dug up some genealogy that we were unaware of, but other than wearing green, I won't be doing anything special on that day. 

A gentle reminder... I receive so many comments with questions that don't include your email address. Unless you have a blog, I can't reply to you. Please, please, please make sure to include your email if you would like a reply!

I had hopes that peace talks would be achieving some success in Ukraine, but things are still so tragic and terrifying. My husband and I have made donations to humanitarian causes including World Central Kitchen, Unicef, and United Way that I hope bring at least some comfort to the refugees and those trapped inside a country at war. I wish I could do more... those images shown on television of the innocent children bring me to tears every time. Hoping and praying for a peaceful resolution--and soon. Bye for now... 

♣♣♣  Enjoy Your Day! ♣♣♣

"May you always have... walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire." ~ Irish Blessing

Christmas Stitching and Farewell to a Friend

It's December--can you believe it? And I've already finished the last of my 2021 monthly Christmas ornaments--can you believe that? Normally, I'm struggling to get that final one finished by mid-December, but this year I took the smart approach and chose a small, easy chart to stitch during this very busy month. This sweet design is a freebie by the talented Misty Pursel of Luminous Fiber Arts fame. If you are a subscriber to her newsletter, you'll be able to receive her charming design--you can sign up right here by clicking the red box at the top of her website. This is called "Joy" and is stitched "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco. (Many stitchers ask me where I get the black Monoco. Unfortunately, it is no longer available and I'm still relying on the large one-yard piece I bought years ago). 

"Joy" by Luminous Fiber Arts

It's hard for me to get a good photograph on black, but, trust me--this is lovely in person! The silk I used is "Rubbed Magpie" by Hand Dyed Fibers. It's the prettiest variegated blue! In this case, I worked backward and chose the finishing fabric--a cute blue and black check--first. Then I chose the blue thread to coordinate with it. I had an idea in my head of how I wanted to finish this ornament from the very beginning and I'm very pleased with the final outcome. 

Love the long "tail" on this one!

I didn't add the stitches that were charted inside the letter "o" because it is stitched "over one" and it would have been too crowded. However, I did add three sparkling Swarovski crystals. I had the glittery blue and silver ribbon in my stash so I made a simple bow, attached a snowflake charm, and surrounded the outer circle with black cording and a long "tail."

Swarovski crystals add a fun bit of sparkle, don't you think?

How is everyone's Christmas decorating coming along? I've been enjoying doing a little bit each day rather than rushing through it and stressing out. I redecorated the small three foot tree that sits on our bookshelves above the television in the family room. It was looking pretty worn out after 20+ years so I removed everything and started from scratch. Red and white has been calling my name at Christmas for  the past couple of years, so I simply tied on some red and white gingham ribbons and added a few white lacy snowflakes from Target (which are years old).

A refurbished 3 foot tree in my family room

I have had the sweet gingerbread boy and girl ornaments for years, too, and I didn't want to part with them. So I removed their old hangers and attached new ones made of bright red ribbon printed with snowflakes and polka dots. The tiny, round glass red and white ornaments were purchased from Target last year. Love the stripes and dots--it's such a fun little tree for our small family room and casts a nice glow while watching television in the evenings.

Here's a brighter photo of the tree taken while I was working on it in my kitchen. You can also spot my snowman tree in the back corner.

Although our large tree is up, it is not yet decorated. I heard a ruckus in the room we now use as a nursery the other day and discovered that the Prairie Schooler Santas had had just about enough of being kept in that white under-the-bed storage box for the past year. They were not happy with me at all! So, my solution was to free them and display them in my Pottery Barn cubby! I can't tell you how much this display makes me smile--I wish I had thought of this years ago. 

Pure Prairie Schooler!

Do you have a favorite from these 29 handsome fellows? I think number 27, number 11, and number 18 are my top three. But, you know what? I truly love them all! Here are a few close-ups for you...

 

 

I always leave the middle cubby space for my mom's silhouette. This year I added a tiny white Santa to keep her company (along with those sweet ceramic shoes that were part of her childhood shoe collection). I miss her so much, but this time of year is especially hard...

 

So, what do you think? Should I leave them here in the cubby or move them to my tree? In all honesty, my tree is getting "just a bit" crowded with cross-stitched ornaments so I may move half of them and leave the others here... we'll see!

Thanksgiving was wonderful, although we were missing my oldest son, daughter-in-law, and grandson who went to El Paso, Texas to celebrate the holiday with her family. Thankfully, they'll be here in just two short weeks to spend some extended time with us. In my previous post, I mentioned that I only had to provide cookies, pies, and the strawberry-pretzel salad for our family feast this year. Here are the baked goods I made--nine kinds of cookies (of which I froze half for Christmas) and two pies. Can you guess what the favorite cookie is in our family? Why, it's those yummy Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cookies on the blue plate in front. This is the recipe I've used for years: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.

I wonder how much sugar and butter I used to make these?!

 

Many of you asked about the mysterious sounding strawberry-pretzel salad that I made, too! Well, it is not really a salad, but that's how we've served it at our Thanksgiving feasts for over 25 years. Here is a link to the recipe: Strawberry Pretzel Salad recipe. With it's bright red strawberry top layer, this makes a great side dish for Christmas dinner, too. And yes... I'll be making it again in a few weeks!

A sad farewell... Sigh... now I've reached the part of this post where I know I'll cry. In fact, I already am... Many of you have heard about the passing of our dear friend, Meg, from Live To Stitch. Although we knew her death was imminent based on her final post in August, it is still hard to believe that such a kind and generous and downright decent person is no longer here on earth. Meg started writing her blog in 2017 and in her last letter to me in late September, she told me that I was the one who inspired her and gave her the courage to start her blog. I was so touched, but I have to say that you, Meg--you are the one who taught me (and many, many others) so much about courage. You faced your diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer with such dignity and bravery. You were the inspiring one--in fact you still are. 

Meg sent me this lovely Christmas ornament in 2019. Not only is it beautifully stitched and finished, but Meg designed it herself! Oh she was so extremely talented in many, many creative and artistic ways. She then generously offered this design to anyone who wanted to stitch it in  this post from December 2019. If you would like to stitch this in honor of Meg, I think it would be wonderful... you can find her chart and instructions right here. 

 

My Christmas gift from Meg--2019

I mailed a Thanksgiving card to Meg in very early November--I think something told me that she might no longer be with us on the actual Thanksgiving. She passed away on November 19, 2021 leaving her beloved husband and son. She was only 48 years old... In my final note to her, I thanked her for her friendship, her inspiration, and, most of all, for her all-round kindness. I told her I would never forget her--and I won't. May you rest in peace, sweet Meg...

Please visit Meg's blog to see more of her beautiful work and read her inspirational posts...

 

I think this is a good time to sign off for now since my tears are making it hard to see the computer screen clearly. I do want to thank you all for your well wishes for my rib injury. It's definitely on the mend and I can now sit reasonably well. I am still having trouble sleeping on my left side (which is, of course, the side I normally sleep on!), but I'd say I'm about 80% better. 

I also want to thank you for all of your sweet comments and emails. My mother always said that I had the kindest group of commenters--I have to agree. I love hearing from you and, even if I can't always respond, I hope you know how much your friendship means to me. I think my friendship with Meg was indicative of how close the cross-stitching community is on social media. She was nearly 20 years younger than I am, but we had the bond of stitching tiny x's in fabric to create something beautiful and lasting... something for our loved ones to remember us by long after we're gone. Wishing each of you a peaceful December. Bye for now...

Day is done... December 2nd, 2021