Wrapping up the year

It's really been a pretty productive year in terms of quilting and other sewing projects. I've focused again on finishing up some UFOs and trying to make most of my fabric purchases have a purpose.  I'll be putting together my numbers and figure out how many finishes I had for year, but that will have to wait for the weekend.

 

On Wednesday morning this week my husband had his disc replacement surgery, and yesterday I brought him home again. They kept him just barely 24 hours in the hospital.  The arm numbness has gone away, so I think the surgery will be considered a success. The rest of the healing will take time.

 

 

Luckily I work from home so I've been able to go back to work and still check on him periodically.  He is pretty worn out, and sleeps quite a bit, especially after taking his pain meds.  The neck area is stiff and sore of course.  And his throat is very sore which is something the surgeon warned us about.  He has some lifting restrictions for 6 weeks, and some "twisting" restrictions for 3 months. And he can't drive until he quits taking the pain meds. 

 

So I'm wrapping up the year with very little sewing, but looking forward to 2017 with excitement.

 

 

Yesterday's progress

I got a lot done yesterday. Today I am sewing a binding onto a wall hanging while sitting in the waiting room. My husband is in surgery for disc replacement. Lots of wait time. 

Needing some handwork

 

Monday was a day off and I spent quite a bit of time sewing in the afternoon. First off was prepping some handwork to keep me busy. Both of these table runners are ready for hand stitching the binding down.  (Bad picture due to the evening light when I took this photo.)  I'll need a bit of handwork the next couple of days while my husband has neck surgery tomorrow morning.  He will stay at least 1 night in the hospital and maybe 2 or 3 depending on how things are going.  Our oldest daughter lives about 6 blocks from the hospital so I'll be staying with them.  

 

Yesterday I also made a self-binding baby blanket for a baby shower this coming weekend. I love making these as they are so fast and easy, plus they are such practical baby gifts.

 

And I worked on the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt clues.  I finished pressing the last of the Clue 1 blocks, and sewed the remaining few Clue 2 blocks.  Clues 3-5 are partially complete, with all of the pieces cut and about a quarter of the blocks sewn. I'm really not too concerned about "falling behind" since there isn't any kind of deadline.

Holiday fuss and stress

 

Some years I've made a huge production of Christmas - decorations, baking, cards, presents, and whatnot.  And that was while working full time, and in years past being a mom of busy kids. And like most everyone I know there was all kinds of stress over getting everything done, attending every concert and party, and having my house looking perfect.

 

But this year I'm only working part time so had lots of extra time.  We have an empty nest and both work from home. So I could have made a much bigger fuss for Christmas preparations, but I didn't.  I now feel slightly guilty because I am not stressed about Christmas.  But only slightly . . .

 

The decorations are a bit less than most years, and it doesn't matter because no one will see them except me and my husband. We aren't expecting any guests. No one will be here for the actual Christmas holiday because my oldest daughter is hosting this year.  But the tree and the stockings are really for me anyway. They make me happy.  My husband on the other hand would not be bothered if I never put up another tree - doesn't help, isn't interested.  But I enjoy it so much!

 

It doesn't seem like Christmas without making my usual spritz wreath cookies. But I didn't make any.  I have made 2 big batches of spiced nuts and do plan to make one more batch tomorrow, but those take less than 30 minutes, so are totally stress-free. I bought 2 frozen pies that I'll bake tomorrow to take to my daughter's house on Christmas Eve. No "from scratch" cookie baking at all this year - which actually does make me feel a little guilty. But I'll get over it.  And my hips will thank me in January because I won't have eaten all of those things I usually bake.

 

We kept gifts for the grandkids simple and I actually had them all wrapped and under the tree 2 weeks ago.  That is definitely not like normal years as I'm usually wrapping things at the last minute.  Each kiddo is getting 1 thing to wear, 1 thing to read, and 1 thing to play with.  Plus they are getting new pillowcases.  The daughters and sons-in-law are getting a "family" basket with some fun and some useful surprises.  And the stockings are full of fun but small goodies, like socks!  We'll just pack it all up to take to our daughter's house on Saturday and then bring the empty stockings back home to hang up next year again.

 

The last of my Christmas cards are in the mail this morning. I so enjoy receiving Christmas cards and letters from friends and family living far away and living close by.  That is one of the best things about this time of year - MAIL. 

 

So, since I have completed my Christmas preparations, I'm going to go comb my hair, brush my teeth, and take myself out to a leisurely lunch.  I'm hungry for Chinese food.  

Almost vintage nativity set

 

The last time this nativity scene was set up was Christmas 2005, right before we moved to this house.  So the past 11 years it has been carefully wrapped in newspaper in a box on a high storage shelf in my basement.  Every year I would look at that box on the top shelf and decide it was too much trouble to get it down. But this year I moved some things and climbed up.  I'll so glad I went to the trouble.

 

Unwrapping each piece brought back some wonderful memories.  This nativity was made by Nellie, a dear family friend from my childhood who was like a favorite aunt, and gifted to my husband and I the first Christmas we were married.  She made each piece in a pottery class and her husband made the simple wooden stable. 

 

I must admit that I had forgotten just how many pieces there were in this set, and just how large some of the pieces are.  Some of the faces are a bit scary too.  But I love it.  And this year when I put it away it's going in a new box, with bubble wrap, and going in with the other Christmas decorations where I can reach it easily for next year. 

And the stockings were hung

 

After a trip to visit with the ladies at The Pin Cushion yesterday morning, my Christmas stockings are now finished.  A huge thank you to Cindy for the great advice about needles and to Brenda for the gorgeous piece of lace (from her private stash) I added to Olivia's stocking.

 

Changing out to a top stitch needle while embroidering seemed to be the magic solution. No more shredded thread. My critical eye sees that I could have aligned the names a bit better - but overall I'm very pleased with the results.  And I doubt that the kids will care.

 

Hiding under the back of the cuff on each is a little ribbon with "Made By Grandma Fridley" on it.  The stockings are all lined with a nice smooth muslin.  

Vintage thread

 

How old do you think this spool of thread might be? It was one of dozens of spools of thread I inherited from my mother when she died over 25 years ago. And based on the labels, I'm guessing she had it for a long time herself. 

 

I was looking for a nice maroon thread to do a bit of hand stitching on a ripped shirt pocket for my daughter.  I dug and dug through my basket and big jar of thread with no luck. So I peaked into the old spools in a drawer, and I found this one. It's a perfect color match and the thread didn't feel brittle or weak. This was always a good brand of thread and proves to me that it's still good enough to use.  

 

Don't forget to visit http://www.patchworktimes.com  to see what everyone has on their Design Wall this week. Bet there are a lot of Christmas projects on those walls.