Ornament Tales:Day 4

Last night I mentioned that some ornaments on the tree reflect interests that our family has. Tonight's barn ornaments were given to me due to my interest in taking photos of barns. These remind of the many pleasant hours spent with Marie in the driver's seat and Carolyn and I along for the ride. The green pastel barn, Melany and family gave me a few Christmases back. And, Marie gave me the gingerbread barn. I have other barns on the tree, too. I guess 'tis the season to hang barns on my Christmas tree! I have reallly been busy today. I got my second group of Christmas cards out to be picked up by the mail carrier today. And, I just barely got them out there before he came by...my timing was perfect today! My next undertaking of the day was working on the Christmas ornaments that I stitched for a good part of the year. Today I pieced other fabric to the stitched ornament and now have 15 ornament fronts all ready to have a back cut and then stitched together and then turned. It is my goal to have the little pillow ornaments all ready to stuff during my cross stitching Zoom event that starts tomorrow. That job took all afternoon. I will cut out the backs while I watch my shows, Matlock and Elsbeth, this evening. Busy, busy times! After all, 'tis the season! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Ornament Tales: Day 3

Tonight's tale is one about my life, from childhood to now. Church has always been an important part of my life. These ornaments represent two of the three churches that i have been a part of. The gold ornament is my childhood to marriage church. This is the church Woody and I got married in. It's the First United Methodist Church in Glendale, AZ. This ornament was made for the church's 100th anniversary in 1994. This ornament has looked like the top photo since Mother gave it to me. Yesterday on Facebook my childhood friend posted a picture of her ornament that looks just like mine and she stated that she had designed this orhament for the centennial. Then I noticed that hers wasn't flat...I had never thought to bend the thin bands around the ornament...so it is like a new ornament on the tree after 20 years of it hanging flat! I can thank Randi for letting me know a little more about the tale of this orhament! The bottom photo shows an ornament that I just happened upon this ornament at an antique store. I couldn't resis getting it. I don't know when this was produced, as this was the first that I knew of it, when I found it. It can't be too old, as it shows the fountain in the park across the street from the sanctuary. I am glad to have both of these ornaments on my Christmas tree of memories. I like having things on the tree that represent our life and interests. More tales to come! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season!I just looked at the photos...sorry about the blur on the middle one...I took it this morning and then hadn't looked at it. You can tell about me bending the pieces to make it 3-D.

Ornament Tales: Day 2

Tonight's ornaments are early Hallmark ornaments. I would say that theye are mid 70s...these look a bit different than today's very detailed Hallmark ornaments...I would say that the price of these ornaments is a lot different than today's also! The card ornament was sent to us from my Aunt Lois and Uncle Don...the little felt/yarn ornament is also from them. Melany and Nathan also got a type of this felt ornament from them the same year we got ours. Theirs are now in their possession. I just think that it is intersting as to how the Hallmark ornaments have evolved over the years. I don't think that the little choir boy is even marked as Hallmark. I'm sure that the card is marked on the back as Hallmark cards are. Today has been a busy 2nd day of December. I worked this morning getting the outside Fall decorations brought back inside and then put out the Christmas/Winter decorations...I don't do much outside...pillows on the rockers and glider and a wreath on the door, a doormat and a yard flag...oh, and, a snowman on one of the tables. While I was doing that I got a package containing new cushions for my glider rocker in the family room. I started getting the chair dusted and polished, but had to quit as I had a haircut appointment at noon and then I headed straight to the church as Donna and I had plans to work in the library. We got out Christmas books to display in the windows and on the top of the shelf for the children. Both this morning and afternoon, I worked on getting Thanksgiving foods ready to go in the freezer. I froze some gravy so it will be ready when I want to make enchiladas next. I also cut up and froze turkey so it is all ready for a casserole or two...perhaps Turkey Olé or Turkey Crunch...both recipes my Mother shared with us years ago. I washed the Fall pillow covers so they will be ready for next Fall. Then I wrestled with getting the chair cushions onto my chair...these are the heaviest cushions that I have ever seen/felt. They are supposed to be such that they won't flatten...I don't think that they will! The hardest was getting the chair back cushion tied on and getting adjusted to the right height since its weight was pulling it down. I think that I have gotten them positioned correctly now. I am pretty tired...but I would really like to go baste around Joy's hem. I got it pinned up last night before I went to bed. It is amazing how long it takes to baste around just one skirt! I need to get these done so the girls can come over and see if they are right or need to be adjusted more. Time is ticking away for this wedding...just three weeks from Saturday. Oh, my! I have a very busy weekend which includes a needlework event online. I am wanting to get the ornaments sewn up so I can stuff them while I am watching and/or visiting with stitchers. But time seems to be getting away from me. I also want to finish my cards and get my packages ready to mail to AZ and AL. All I can say to all this is: 'TIS THE SEASON! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Ornament Tales: Day 1

I have decided to share ornament stories during the month of December. I spent time this morning photographing some of the ornaments that I plan to tell about during the month. I decided to go waaaaay back with tonight's ornament tale...to our first Christmas. Mother and Daddy gave us this ornament our first Christmas...so Christmas 1969...55 years this eggshell ornament has survived...it even survived the year that the tree fell over. I think of it as a snowy Christmas Eve with people going to church for a candlelight service. It has hung on our Christmas trees in five homes and two states, First Tennessee and then California and then back to Tennessee. It is one of three ornaments made out of an eggshell that hang on my tree. It became a tradition in our families to exchange ornaments each year. My family in Arizona would send me ornaments and I would send them ornaments. That tradition continues to this day...the reason that I keep busy stitching ornaments for gifts and one of the reasons that I have so many ornaments! They also sent Melany and Nathan ornaments each year...but those ornaments have moved to their trees. So tonight's tale helps you understand how I have come to have so many ornaments on my tree...and...many others than family have added to my growing collection! Today has been busy. I managed to get the hem turned up on Abigail's bridesmaid's dress and got it basted. So it is ready for her to try it on again with the boots that she plans to wear for the wedding. I'm planning to get started doing the same to Joy's this evening. It's a long way around these skirts! I also started trying to get all my Thanksgiving cooking, which was done on Saturday under control...started getting it portioned out to put some in the freezer. First I ot the broth out and put it in freezer bags and then used the rest to make turkey and rice soup...some of which I plan to freeze also. I squeezed some leftover lemons and froze that juice, also. Lots going on to make a mess in the kitchen. I am about to run the dishwasher after I eat a bite of supper. I'm late eating because of Furnace Room Prayer Meeting. I guess we are settling in for a night of rain. It started to mist a little just asa I got to church, but was raining by the time we came out and I am hearing a nice gentle rain now. I'm glad that I am in and will be in till I go for a haircut tomorrow and then go to work in the library after that. Our overnight low is supposed to be 35 and tomorrow's high is supposed to be 38...brrrrr! But it was colder last night over night it got down to 25 and I think that we have more of those low temps ahead of us. I'm glad that I have plenty to do staying at home...I prefer home to going out when it is so cold! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season!

Sunday Favorite

Turkey Day

Well, a very busy, tiring day. "The" turkey made into the oven today thanks to Nathan's help. We got it all set up and the new probe worked well as did the "turkey mode" on the oven...cooked it to perfection. Tonight's photo is just prior to it reaching the set temperature. Nathan came and got the turkey out of the oven and moved it to the carving board. I made gravy. Once the turkey cooled some, I carved it...as in took all the meat off...such a job! My shoulders and feet and back are aching tonight! After I got the meat off the bones, I added all the bones into my stock pot and made turkey broth. All the jobs today were greasy...I don't cook "greasy" very often and what a mess when it comes to clean up! I have a lot of those greasy dishes in the dishwasher, but a lot of the big pans had to be washed by hand...the meat rack, the roasting pan, the carving board, etc. So I have had my hands in the dishwater all too much today! I have quickly cooled the turkey broth by filling the sink with cold water and then adding ice...several times added bowls of ice. It cooled down and it is in the refrigerator cooling the rest of the way. I will remove the fat that rose to the top tomorrow. It was funny, after all the carving, cleaning, etc., I wasn't interested in eating turkey today...so had gumbo for supper. I did eat a couple of small slices of turkey...one dark meat and one white meat. Tasted good but after dealing with all the mess, I just didn't want it for supper! Tomorrow I will enjoy some of what I messed with today! I am tired and very ready to put my feet up and rest. Nothing to do with Christmas or the wedding happened today. I had hoped to work on Abigail's dress...but that didn't happen. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season!

'Tis-The-Season Busy!

I've been going in lots of directions today...got quite a bit done, but still have lots to do. I did do more "Thanksgiving" cooking today...BUT...didn't get the main thing I planned to cook cooked...the turkey! I asked Nathan come sometime today to help me manhandle my hefty bird. Nathan told me yesterday that he and Elijah were going hunting in the morning and he would come after he got back. He said that it might be later than sooner "if" one of them got a deer. Well, one of them did get a deer...Elijah! So Nathan and Elijah had quite the job doing whatever one has to do with a deer after it is killed...I didn't ask for details!!! Nathan got so involved with that task that by the time he was finished, he was tired and forgot about my request. I called Nathan mid afternoon and told him that at this point I needed to put off the cooking of my turkey until tomorrow...so more "Thanksgiving" cooking tomorrow. I did make the dressing today. I worked on Abigail's bridesmaid dress...got taken apart what needed to be taken apart. Once I get the turkey in the oven tomorrow, I will perhaps head to the seewing room and put back together what I took apart. Last night after I got back home from Melany and Wade's, I started printing my Christmas cards. I decided that I wanted to use one of my photos for my cards this year. I got them all printed. Today I foded them, got them cut apart, signed half of them, wrote a short letter to include in the cards, and have started addressing them. I am happy with them. I borrowed a stamp from Melany for an inside message for my cards. We had a great meal yesterday and enjoyed visiting with each other. I enjoyed the extra time with Alex and Brooke on our trip to and from. Erin was able to join us for the meal, but she is not doing well. I need to work on the two bridesmaid dresses tomorrow, but also need to work on finishing Christmas ornaments and need to continue on with my cards. I also need to take Fall decor off my front porch and replace with Christmas/Winter decor. I got pillow covers for Christmas/Winter today...so have that job to do, too. My head is in a whirl...but...then...it is...'Tis the season!To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 'Tis the season!