Reality

This is how my studio usually looks..........  This is where things get brought in and just put on any flat surface.  Usually I clear up before I start work.......  By then time is up and I need to do something else.....
This year I am going to try to finish only what I can see in the room before I get out or start something else....... Time will tell if that works.

Three dresses to be assembled and finished...........

One dress finished and ready to mail.

We shall see just how far this goes toward getting something done.......

Now off to bless the master suite........  It has been neglected lately......

Off To A Good Start

Before I begin a New Year I need to finish updating the last one...............

I have not blogged much lately because I have been enjoying the Holidays.........  I do hope you have enjoyed them too.............

Thanksgiving gave Lem and Jason time to watch a ball game together..........Yes that is a Bonnie Hunter design quilt on the sofa.........  Wade Hamilton thinks that we bought that sofa for him so I try to keep it covered unless we have guest..........

We had a swan visit us one day after Thanksgiving.......... First one I have seen here........

After getting the decorations up for Christmas I had the Neuse Quilt Guild here for a holiday luncheon.
This is the dining room.....

Buffet held the special ornaments I have made over the years and the tree on the left is decorated with knitted beaded tassels......  Everyone was asked to untie a tassel and take it with them.

This is a sewing table that is in the dining room.......... It was made by my grandfather.

The entry has my Creche.........That is the most important part of the Season in our home.

We pushed all the furniture against the wall and set up tables in the living room........... 

The desk in the corner has more trees...........  Can you tell how much I like trees........?

The tall tree is decorated in Red White and Blue..........  My patriotic tree...........  I am hoping that next year it will be decorated with Christmons..........  I have several embroidery books on making them and I have called Barry at Town Ho in Brewster, MA to order the necessary threads and fabrics..........

The breakfast table is all ready for the deserts.......  I made Brunswick Stew and everyone else brought the deserts..............  The white table cloth was one that I knitted our of tobacco twine............

The stairway is decorated with a tree of china cups and tea pots....  the stockings were made several years ago.............  I have more quilted projects planned for next year...........

The sweet tea (house wine of the South) and glasses are all on the kitchen counter.  There was also unsweet tea and coffee.........

Lemuel and I decided last year to end gift giving except for the very young members of the family.....  We love them all year not just in December........  The Gift of Salvation is such a wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father........ That is all anyone needs...........

This is the quilt made from the blocks I won from my friends of the Neuse Quilters Guild.......  I invited them here so all could see that the quilt was done..........

Rebekah loaned me her Charley Brown tree for the guest room.......

The stuffed tree was from my sister...........

A closer view of the trees on the desk.........

The tree in the Master Bedroom.........

The tree in the guest bathroom........

The tree in the Master Bathroom..............

As you can see the windows are not hung with curtains yet and the walls are somewhat bare......  It will take me several years to get the house as I want it to be........ 

As for this year I plan to work on unfinished projects............  I have plenty of those...........

Santa is getting ready

Wade Hamilton has tried on his Santa suit getting ready for the big day...................

A Finish at LAST

At long last I am able to get into the studio and finish something...............  When I first started this dress I had problems with my pleater and that rather put me off the project...........

Last week my dear sister called to say that she was a proud grandmother of a darling girl.......... This dress is a six months so I wanted to get it done and in the mail.  The last two girls I planned to send it to have outgrown it already......

Now to make a couple more in a larger size for them.

On The Needles Friday

 Some progress has been made on one sock........  Maybe I can finish it this weekend... Then on to sock two.

I did take a break and make a couple of pairs of preemie socks.........

I would have more made but inattention caused a problem.........  On this sock I decided to turn the heel twice.............

While I was making socks Rebekah made preemie hats...............  She is staying with us for awhile...  It is good to have her here..............

Check with Judy Laquidara HERE for other things happening in the knitting world.

Catching Up

This year I got behind while getting ready for the holidays.........  So what else is new........

In anticipation of being able to blog frequently again I am posting a few things that happened before Thanksgiving...........

These Prayer Shawls were made by my friend Marilyn.............  Several of us starting meeting each week at her home and knitting or whatever caught our fancy.............

For one of those occasions I made a Pumpkin Cake.............  Not having a full size bundt pan I used a small one so I ended up with a little pumpkin...........

Also during that time a dear friend came by with a gift..............  Isn't it lovely?

And look at that glorious bloom............I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends..........

Tomorrow is On The Needles Friday and I will even have something for that occasion.

On the Needles Friday

Judy at Patchwork Times hosts "On the Needles Friday" This is what is on and has recently come off the needles at this house..... Go HERE to see what others have done.

One pair for Rebekah.........

One pair for Joyce..............

And one pair begun for a friend........

Design Wall Monday

At long last I got a chance to sew a stitch or two and have finally finished the two quilts I needed to have done for the Guild Christmas party................

Things have been hectic here and I am still unpacking even though we moved a year ago..............

Thanks to Judy at Patchwork Times for hosting Design Wall Monday......  Go HERE to see what others are doing......

The Pantry

I am so blessed to have a pantry..........  But sometimes it becomes a place to put things just to get them off the kitchen counter..........

It had finally reached the point where I could find nothing in the pantry at all.............

Yesterday was the day I finally started to make order from the chaos..........

Here is the before...............

And this is the after..............  Such a relief to have that done........

I still have two more trouble spots in the house.......  A hall closet and the master bedroom closet......  I would like to think that next week they can be put in order.

On the Needles Friday

I finally made into the studio this week........... No sewing done just putting things away........  I have however been knitting a bit at night..........

I managed to finish 30 dishcloths to give to friends.........  Some of them have to be mailed.....  I wonder just how long it will take me to get them to the post office.

The pattern is as follows...........

Cast on 39 stitches........
Knit four rows.
K 1, YO, K 2tog to end.
Repeat till there are 11 rows of YO's..........  Knit four rows. Bind off........

You can get 2 dishcloths from one skein of super size Sugar and Cream.........

I finished a pair of socks for a friend that also have to be mailed..........

I began a sweater for myself and now realize that I will not have enough yarn........  Hope I can get more.

I also finished Kim's sweater.................

Now to get it blocked, sewn together and the collar and front bands done..........

Lots of other knitting has been going on...........  Check out Judy at Patchwork Times (HERE) to see what else is on needles around the world.