Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

I just got home from the Furnace Room Prayer Meeting and it is cooooold outside! Brrrrrrrr! Glad I am back inside and staying in for the rest of the night and that I don't have anything to be out for tomorrow till after lunch! Good night for lots of throws piled on while I sit in my comfy chair! Today I have gotten a little more done on undecorating...my Precious Moments nativity figures are all back in their boxes and upstairs awaiting for me to pack them back into the Christmas closet...eventually! I haven't felt the greatest today. I think that the front that is coming through has gotten to me...achy bones, etc. I did finally give in to Tyelenol midafternoon and then took my usual Celebrex this evening...and some of the aches have at least taken a back seat to what they were feeling like earlier. I woke up really early this morning and decided that I wasn't going to get up at that hour so picked up my upstairs cross stitch project and stitched a couple of letters on that sampler. After that I got a little sleepy and went back to sleep and slept a bit longer. I wasn't all that interested in getting up and going this morning...but eventually did make it downstairs. I guess this gray cold day made me rather lazy. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Tonight's photo is of the amaryllis that Cheryl gave me...one of those that the bulb is encased in wax and you don't have to water it. It is fun to watch it grow with no effort on my part! It is almost all the way open.

Sunday Favorite

First Saturday of 2025

Today has been a stay-at-home day. I only went out the door to get the mail. I did manage to accomplish the first "stage" of undecorating. I got all the Christmas dishes put away. I carried the serving dishes upstairs awaiting me finding the boxes in which I store them. But for the moment the dining room table is empty of Christmas items awaiting the next items I decide that I am ready to put away. I'm not in any hurry...but undecorating is sort of underway. I am very happy to have my everyday mugs back and in their place in their kitchen cabinet. I climbed a lot of steps while putting plates, cups, etc. away...step ladder steps and also climbed the stairs quite a few times getting the serving dishes upstairs. Late this afternoon, I made my red clam sauce and cooked some angel hair pasta to serve it on...pretty good. I hadn't made a red sauce in some time. Woody and I used to eat a lot of various pasta sauces until he had to cut back on tomatoes...so this tasted good after not eating pasta very often in the last few years. I have gotten the kitchen all cleaned up and the dishwasher is going...so kitchen closed for today! I have done some stitching this afternoon. I also did some napping. I'm now ready to settle in and do more stitching this evening. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Three Days In

The photo shows what I have been stitching since January 1. Well, I have also stitched another letter and continued on a row of a border motif on my Bristol sampler. The Bristol...I mainly stitch upstairs when I am winding down to go to sleep. Today I have gathered more dishes and did manage to find my everyday mugs...so I am happily sipping out of a larger mug. I managed to deliver my snack items to the funeral home. I made a stop at the drugstore on the way home. And, have stayed home the rest of the day...puttering around the house and stitching and watching some TV. Ruth stopped by and visited for a while...a good break in the day! I've talked on the phone with Cheryl and Connie...so more catching up and chatting. I have had supper and am now back in my chair and going to do some more stitching and TV watching. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

2025 is Underway

I guess I am getting back into a routine following the holidays. Today I made a quick trip to the grocery store. The reason for the grocery store trip was for a major ingredient for these cookies...gluten-free flour. So the above cookies are a first for me...baking gluten free. They look like they came out fine. The recipe made exactly two dozen cookies so I chose not to try one...just ate a crumb that seemed to taste fine...so will go with it! I have them all bagged up and on top of a box of individually packaged potato chips...the cookies and potato chips are from my Sunday School class to be taken to a funeral visitation tomorrow so the family can have some snacks. I will deliver them in the morning...first time that I have gone to this funeral home since Woody's death. I have started to gather the Christmas dishes and putting them on the dining room table...once they are all gathered I will put them away...some are stored in upper kitchen cabinets and some are stored in the Christmas closet upstairs. I'm not quite ready to undecorate, but can start with a few things. My goal with undecorasting is always to have everything put away by Valentine's Day! I am ready to get out my everyday mugs...my Christmas mugs are on the small size and I have missed my everyday ones! Maybe that is why I was ready to put away the Christmas dishes! This afternoon I alternated napping and stitching! I don't think that I placed too many stitches in the wrong place! I worked on the new sampler that I started yesterday. I'll work a little more on the Christmas ornament that I also started yesterday. And, hopefully stitch a little on my red-work Bristol sampler. I did manage to work on all three of these yesterday. I'm still running on a low gear...taking it slow getting back into routine. Still a few more low-key days...I guess next week I will be back to a regular routine. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Welcome, 2025!

Well, 2025 has arrived...now to see what this new year has in store for us. I spent the day quietly working on my stitching and also doing a little sewing. Tonight's photo shows the ornament that I finished for me. This was the 7th sled that I completed into an ornament this Christmas. There were three different designs of barns and I stitched two twice and the one seen above the third time. I was detemined to have one on my tree...always looking for a barn to add to my tree! I got up this morning and got busy on mine. I had already outlined the shape and today I filled in the rest of the design. I hemmed a pair of slacks and also fixed a velcro closure by replacing one side of the velcro. My main plan for today was to start a new cross stitch sampler. I came downstairs a couple of hours ago and started on it. I am working on the border and have a little done...at least it is a start. The other plan for this evening is to choose and start an ornament for Christmas 2025 gifting. I think I know which one I am going to start. Getting underway on a positive note for 2025 with my stitching. I also plan to work on my large redwork Bristol sampler. I had to set it aside due to Christmas stitching and am ready to get back to it. This is a huge sampler...that may not ever be finished in my lifetime...but...I do enjoy stitching on it. I guess I will say one more time...'Tis the season...well, 'tis the ending of the season! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!