July 7th

 

Today is Throwback Thursday. I'm traveling way back in time to 2005. When I look at the photos I can't believe this was 17 years ago! Two kids were in college, two still lived at home. We had two dogs and two cats. I loved the fireplace in this house, especially with Christmas stockings hanging on it. Memories can be so powerful, it's fun to look back at these happy memories!

It's May?!

 I have been absent from this blog for months. It's not that I'm not interested, it's that there is a lot going on right now (which you already know if you read my other blog). I'm not going to repeat it all here, but I will say that with the arrival of May my Christmas Spirit has been revived.

This month I'm focusing on finishing a stocking I'm stitching for my DIL's neice. I won't even tell you how long ago I started this stocking, but I'll give you a hint - Pre-Covid. Yep, I feel awful but I WILL complete it in time for Christmas this year.

Have your thoughts begun to turn to the Holiday Season?

Christmas is Here! December Ninth

 This year has been a total bust when it comes to my cross-stitching goals. I started out great, but then when the grandkids came home from school in March and stayed home until October... well, my stitching came to a screeching halt.

I did manage to finish a stocking for my youngest grandchild...

I'm just thrilled that I got it done before her 2nd Christmas!

Now it's on to planning next year's stitching goals. Hope I can meet some of them at least! haha

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year ~ 16

If you've read my blog for a while you know that I love to make Christmas stockings for my family.

This stems from when I was a little girl and saw the movie "Yours, Mine and Ours". The original one with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. My favorite scene in the movie is Christmas morning when the 20 stockings for the family are hung above the fireplace. That became my dream.

Fast forward to 2019. Our little family has grown to 16. Although I don't have a fireplace in this house, I find a way to hang all 16 stockings for Christmas. It's hands down one of my favorite aspects to Christmas. It is a dream come true for me.

I always stitch two stockings for each family member. One for my house, one for their house. Here are the stockings I've completed this year:

I admit, I'm stocking-ed out for this year! I have three stockings to make next year and then I'm up-to-date unless someone blesses us with a new baby.

Christmas Time's a'Comin'!

I was inspired the other day so I laid out my December blog posts. Now to actually start writing them.

I'm assuming Hobby Lobby must have received most of their Christmas merchandise as I got an email from them that all Christmas is now 40% off. Need to get over there... more for inspiration than to purchase. I have so much Christmas stuff that this year I really want to focus on re-purposing what I have.

I've made a start on my gift purchases. I'm eager to finish one grandchild so I can start to make his/her snowman. I went to the Teacher's store and bought rolls of while craft paper. They come in three different lengths so I'm hoping there won't be a lot of waste when I start wrapping the boxes. It did occur to me the other day to wonder where I will store the assembled snowmen until time to put the tree up. But I decided to worry about that another day.

I'm very optimistic about my stocking stitching this year. I have two stockings to go and I think there's every chance that I will finish both of them in time for Christmas. Hallelujah!

In the meantime, I have a summer cold accompanied as usual by  Laryngitis and the forecast is calling for temps around 115 degrees the middle of this week...

Christmas in July: Day 29

Some assembly required.

These words strike terror not only in the heart of parents working feverishly on Christmas Eve to get toys ready for Christmas morning. They also strike terror in the heart of stitchers.

Here are two stockings that I've finished stitching for this year which still need to be assembled. I'll post the absolutely finished project hopefully in September...

CIJ: The ABCs of Christmas ~ Stockings

I feel like I've shared the Christmas Stockings I've stitched for family and friends many times on this blog and frankly I'm bored. So I'll share the new stockings I've stitched this year in my December posts. For today, I'm focusing on unique (to me) stockings I found on Pinterest.

These quilted stockings are simple and elegant

Beautiful

I wonder if I could make these?

Festive Crazy Quilt Stocking

Don't these look warm and cozy?

Here's some ideas for "stuffers" to fill those stockings!

December Thirteenth- The Stockings Part 1

When I was a kid I saw the original "Yours, Mine, and Ours" starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. It's the true story of a Navy officer with ten kids marrying a Navy widow with eight kids. They went on in real life to have a couple of kids together. One of the scenes in the movie is Christmas morning when all 18 stockings are hung at the fireplace. I decided right there and then that I wanted my Christmas to look like that.

So to that end, I have made stockings for each person in my immediate family. There are 15 of us now, soon to be 16 in January. I make two stockings per person, one to hang at my house and one to hang at there house. I also made one stocking each for my brother and SIL.

This year my task was to stitch five stockings - one each for my nephew, his wife, and daughter, and two for my newest grandchild, Snow. I almost met my goal, but fell short in only completing one stocking for Snow.

Today I'm sharing the stockings for my nephews family, and in a few days I'll show you the whole lot for my house.

It takes me about three months on average to stitch a stocking. I love doing it! And as you know if you're a crafter, when I'm making something for someone each stitch is accompanied by a thought or prayer for that person. That's the best part.

Gearing up for the Holidays

We're about to enter my favorite time of the year: Fall and the Christmas Season. I normally decorate my house for Autumn on Labor Day weekend. This year I will have to do it either the weekend before or the weekend after as we're busy over Labor Day.

In preparing for the holidays I have a finish to share. Here's the stocking I stitched for JD and Janel's newest kitten, Piper.

How about you? Do you have the holidays on your mind?

Christmas in July: Stockings

I love to cross-stitch. It is both my favorite hobby and my therapy! One of my favorite stitching project states "Stitching is cheaper than therapy... but not if you do it right." I stitch Christmas stockings for each of my family members. I stitch one for them to hang at my house and one for them to hang at their house. I am currently working on stockings for my newest grandson, Storm.

Here are some of the family stockings I've stitched over the years:

Ten Months From Today...

... will be Christmas Day once again. Two weeks ago I received my Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club renewal in the mail. That means the 2014 Hallmark KOC Dream Book will be here soon!

This year I'm already spending a lot of time thinking about stocking stuffer gifts for the entire family. Last year's gifts were not the greatest. I know it's because we were moving, but still, I don't want a repeat for this year.

I'm also looking forward to Christmas because we will have a new grandson by then. Our daughter Jessica is expecting a little boy in June. As you know, if you've been reading my blog(s) for a while, I use weather related terms to identify my grandkids. The new little man will be called Storm on my blog and I can't wait for him to arrive!

This means I will be stitching two more Christmas stockings this year - one for his house and one for my house. I also have a couple of other gifts I want to get stitched up for Christmas gifts. I am bound and determined though to stick to my drop dead deadline of November 1st. If the stitching is not complete by then, it will have to wait until next year. I'm tired of furiously stitching the second week in December trying to finish a project! Jessica and Janel have already been appointed my accountability partners in this determination.

I see from reading your blogs that some of you are looking forward to Christmas 2014, also. I enjoy reading your blogs and getting new recipes, gift ideas, and general holiday inspiration!

Christmas in July: Stockings

When I was a young girl I saw the movie "Yours, Mine, and Ours" with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. My favorite scene in the movie is Christmas morning with 20 stockings hung from the fireplace. It's always been my dream to have lots of stockings hanging in my home. And my dream has come true!

My favorite hobby is counted cross stitch. I have stitched stockings for every person in my family. I have stitched two stockings for the people in my immediate family; one for their home and one for my home.

Here are some of the stockings I've stitched:

Stitched 2012 for JD and Janel's kitten

2012 - my house

2007 - their house

2007 - their house

2011 - their house

Stitched by Dan's Mom 90s - our house

Stitched by Dan's Mom 90s - our house

1988 - our house

2000 - our house

2009 - our house

2009 - our house

2008 - our house

1987 - our house

2007 - our house

2012 - our house

2009 - our house

Katie's house