12 Days of Christmas: Day 8

It has been another fairly quiet day, though I did go out for groceries today. I continue to pick up the mess created by making ornaments and other crafty things that I did over the holidays...amazing how many spools of thread are spread throughout the house...or buttons or fabric scraps. I thought, yesterday, that I had all the spools of thread back in their storage places. But...no! I found a tub that I had put things in when I cleared off the sewing machine to hem bridesmaid dresses. Then just a few minutes ago I found another spool here next to my chair that I used to make my 2025 Christmas ornament. I'm sure there are others hiding around the house. But at least I know I have put quite a bit of the creative mess away. I have done a little more stitching and plan to end my day stitching. I'm still spending my stitching time divided up between 5 pieces...so each of my current works in progress have at least a little done on them since 2026 arrived. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

12 Days of Christmas: Day 7 = New Year's Day 2026

It has been a pretty quiet New Year's Day. I stitched into the wee hours of today...last night...I started a sampler. There is a tradition in the stitching world of starting a sampler on New Year's Day, and, if you finish it by the end of the month, it will bring blessings for the year. This sampler is known as a blessing sampler. I'm not much on the "do something on New Year's Day and it will bring you luck," but I decided that it sounded like fun to stitch a blessing sampler. I have started a very small redwork sampler. I will share it with you when there is more to show! I haven't taken a picture of it yet. Joy arranged to come over this afternoon, as she had need of my serger to finish off some skirts that she has made. I am pleased to share that Joy has made great strides in her recovery from her concussion...she is ever so much improved. She told me today that PT is about to release her and that her speech therapist is going to release her, if all goes well, later in January. She still isn't totally headache free, but her joyful smiles are back and she is back to doing the crafty things that she loves. It was a good start to 2026 for me to get to visit with her. I made one of my favorite casseroles: Tortilla Pie, a Martha Stewart recipe. I had all the ingredients needed for it in the freezer, refrigerator, and pantry...so it was just a matter of thawing, grating, opening a can, layering, and popping it into the oven. I enjoyed a nice square of it for my supper and look forward to enjoying it as leftovers. I am going to stitch this evening. I am playing a game with five of my stitching projects. I have assigned a number to each of them and am using a random number picker app to choose a number for me and then I stitch on that project for at least one thread...it has been fun so far. When I finish blogging I will be putting in at one length of floss on my large redwork Bristol sampler. It has been more than a week since I have stitched on it so I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with it! To br continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! And, for the first and last time THIS year I will say "'Tis the season!" I guess it is time to go back to the real world after the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year season!