bits and pieces . . .

Right off the bat, let me put your minds to rest . . . 

This got finished, so this could happen . . .

Whew!  All is right with the (her) world again!

It's been a busy week, at work and home.  For the last eight years, we've gone to see The Nutcracker ballet every Christmas season.  This year they didn't do the ballet (go figure).  So instead, I've been putting together something fun to take its place . . .

We'll have a full-blown tea party with all the trimmings, and then watch the ballet on DVD!!  (I've got several versions, of course!) We're all looking forward to that!

Todd & I took a trip downtown one evening this past week to enjoy Tinsel Trail.

It was a lot of fun and there were more trees on the trail than ever before (they had to expand the trail to the other side of the park this year)! Christmas lights make my soul happy! 

I also baked a cake.  Because sometimes you just need to bake.

It's an orange flavored yellow butter cake, with tropical icing.  Not very winter/Christmassy, so I did the strawberry poinsettia flower on top.  It feels a little Mele Kalikimaka, if you know what I mean!  Still, it tasted good!  :)

We've had some glorious sunrises this week out at the camp . . .

Todd tells me we've had some glorious sunsets, too, but I don't make it home in time to see those.  LOL!

We have also enjoyed some glorious weather ... temps in the 50's, 60's and even into the 70's!  We got out and about in the camp on Friday and I got to visit some of my favorite places . . . 

Serenity Pond is pretty no matter the season!

Looking up and down the creek.  The sound of the water babbling is as happy to my soul as the lights! It never ceases to amaze me that I live here. Introducing people to creation; connecting them to the Creator.  It's as apt a mission statement as could be.  ♥

 And my soul needs happy when I start to think too much about this . . . 

Yikes, y'all!  That's less than two weeks away ... and why it won't surprise you that my slow stitching is all about these things . . .

The Piglet ornament is coming along! I hope to finish it up this afternoon, while we enjoy a Christmas movie.  Hand quilting this beauty (table runner) will take a little longer, but I'm going to quilt it simply, so hopefully it will be done in time. Hey ... Christmas *starts* on the 25th ... and goes on for 12 days, right??  Ha! 

Anyway, linking up to Kathy's Quilts and her slow stitching post.  This close to Christmas, I bet there's tons of pretty projects in the works to ooooh and aaaaah over!

Before I go, a quick shout-out to my Alabama Crimson Tide, who finished the regular (like there was anything regular about it) college football season 10-0!!  Roll Tide!

:)

insert clever title here . . .

It was another busy week, but different in several ways. Todd and I started Weight Watchers on Monday, and of course I had lunches scheduled for each of the working days and dinners for two of the nights! Yikes, right off the bat I was facing hurdles, but I handled it like a pro (and no cheating), though tomorrow morning's weigh in will determine just how well I handled it! At Judy's recommendation, I looked up Dr. Michael Vanderschleden's The Scientific Approach to Intermittent Fasting. The book is available for free on kindleunlimited, so I went ahead and borrowed it.  It's a fascinating read and debunks most of the food myths I've embraced for years. This week I've played around with fasting times and I think I've found a system that works.  Again, tomorrow's weigh in will tell!

We had Thursday off because we are closed on Friday, but we still get the Veteran's Day holiday.  I'll take it! Anyway, Miss Ellie came home with me Wednesday night for a sleepover. She loved her scarf of sparkly red, but informed me that it should have tassels . . .

Good enough!  Sawyer's did not have tassels, but since "he's a boy, he shouldn't have tassels." Ha! Thanks for that word of scarf fashion wisdom, Elle. She also had fun creating her breakfast masterpiece:

Though she was a little disappointed that I didn't have any blueberries (like I did last time). Note taken.

Friday was too windy to take the pontoon out, so Todd and I bummed around and ran errands. We went to PF Changs for lunch (where I'd looked up the entrees and knew we would be okay with points). Plus, veterans got a free entree when an additional entree was purchased, so I ate free! 

I got some fun squishies in the mail this week, too.  The first was from a "mug rug" swap I participated in. Dana doesn't blog, but we have enjoyed getting to know each other through emails. She sent me this pretty little mug rug:

Along with a parcel of fun goodies . . .

What a sweetheart Dana is!  Her package has been received, too, so I can show you the 'out-of-the-box' mug rug I sent her:

Very seasonal, I know, but I like changing out my mug rugs as much as I like changing out my hanging quilts for the seasons!

My second squishy came from Sarah and contained my 'houses' from the Hexie Birthday Swap!

Plus a couple of 'kites' from last year's swap -- and some happies from Sarah (who knows me so well)!! I will have fun playing with these! :)

My stash is silent . . . nothing in and nothing out.

Ugh. I know it's a matter of making time . . . perhaps as the days grow colder (if they do) and darker (which they are), I'll be able to sneak away more quilting time!

I did a quick inventory of my ornaments . . .

So far I've got sixteen, which is a little off course (I should have twenty-two), but it's a sight better than what I had last year at this time, which was ZERO! Today I'll do up a couple more poinsettias, both in the tiny size and the brooch size.

These are my go-to stitch-ups because they're so easy and I can make them so diverse with a change of color or button or size. Variety is the spice of life, right? These will be my sloooooow stitching this afternoon!

Aaaaah . . . and before I forget, last week I issued a challenge!  My favorite quote for this picture:

was Janet's, "Hands back in your pockets, guys!"  It made me LOL! Especially since Marilyn and I both look like we've been goosed!

And only a handful of folks got it right.  Jocelyn got us all together for a group picture on Evey's second birthday.  She then said, "Everybody say, "Evey's going to be a big sister!'" It took a couple of seconds for it to register, but Marilyn and I must have worked it out before the men, judging by the picture! I let the random number picker do the work and Mary's "You're pregnant?????" won the prize!  I'll send a happy little something to both Mary and Janet!

Linking up today to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts!  Enjoy a beautiful day -- regardless of the weather!

:)

tricks and treats . . .

First things first.  Did you remember to fall back last night before going to bed??

I'm not all about time change.  I wish they do away with it. But I *do* like the extra hour on Sunday morning and the change so that I'm not driving to work in the dark in the morning.  Yes, I like that just fine!

Last things are last. So be sure to read through! (That means there's a giveaway!)

Todd was in Florida for a conference most of the week, so I was on my own. I battled a headache for pretty much the whole week, but managed to squeeze in some fun time.  Mainly on Halloween night, where we (Jason, Joc, Ellie, Evey and I) gathered for a 'spooky' dinner at my mom and dad's home and then trick or treating. My mom was in her party hostess element! We had Goblin's Eyes:

Jack-O-Lantern Humus:

Poisoned Apples:

And Pumpkin Brains:

Not to mention dessert . . . 

Pumpkin, Spider and Cat's Tongue cookies! The little girls--especially Ellie--were delighted.  But I think Jason, Joc and I were equally delighted with the fun of it! 

Even the table was dressed to the nines!

I had managed to finish up Flotsam and Jetsam for Evey's costume. Please don't mind the mess on my kitchen counter!

They came to work and kept me company for the day. 

That certainly raised some eyebrows as visitors came in during the day!

I didn't get any great pics of the girls dressed up for Halloween . . . I let Jason do all the photo taking and I've not seen any yet! I did snap a pre- and post-Trick or Treating photo of the two . . .

They had matching glo-in-the-dark pjs.  Ellie is demonstrating hers in the bottom right capture.  Evey is demonstrating how worn out she is!

I finished up both scarves this week and finished up my swap mug rug that needed to go in the mail by Friday.  I can't share a picture yet, but I will next week.  I hope my partner is pleased with it.  She sure did a great job on mine -- reveal later.

Thursday I took off a little early and met Joc and the girls at the Botanical Gardens.

With temps still in the 80's, it seemed the thing to do. Ellie loves to "strike a pose"! Evey just wants to run. Everywhere.

Even the butterflies were still out and about.  And loads of flowers still blooming, since we haven't had a frost yet.

My stash experienced a little change up this week. 

I took in two fat quarters I was gifted with from the tea cup exchange.  And then my mug rug going out and the two eels, took it and a little more back out.  I'll take it!

I need to work on some Christmas ornaments today. Just need to figure out what I'll try next. Probably not the crescent Santa!  LOL! 

That'll be my sloooooow stitching for today!

One final thing. This picture was taken at Evey's birthday party in September. I'm holding Ellie and Marilyn, Joc's mother-in-law in standing next to me, holding Evey.  Our respective husbands are behind us. Leave a caption for this photo in your comment.

For the bestest, funniest, zaniest caption I'll give a prize. Then I'll draw from all the captions that peg the picture correctly for another prize! That's TWO prizes! I'll leave it open through Wednesday and announce it next Sunday. If you are a no-reply blogger, please make sure you leave your email in your comment!

Linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts today.  Enjoy your extra hour and have a blessing-filled Sunday!

:)

pumpkins times three . . .

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this month, this season, and pumpkins?

I've done some pumpkiny things this past week. (Of course!) On Wednesday, my bloggy/quiltie/hexie/foodie/purple-loving/cat whisperer/tea party enjoying friend Sarah sent me a link to the Dessert for Two blog and a recipe for Pumpkin Cakes.  Y'all. I was not at home when she sent me the link, but as soon as I got home that night, I made mini pumpkin cakes. 

Todd thought I was a little crazy at first and then he tasted . . . they were GOOD! I mean they were really good.  Lick the dish, don't leave a crumb, scraping the sides of the bowl, wishing they weren't so mini, good. Luckily, they use leftover pumpkin, which I had from last week's Buttery Pumpkin Pie Fudge, and I still DO have some.  I may make mini pumpkin cakes for Todd and me for my birthday (which is tomorrow -- let me just get that out there)!

I also had a leftover banana that *really* needed to be used or tossed. I thought why not use mashed banana in place of the pumpkin, and use nutmeg in place of the pumpkin pie spice? So I did . . .

And those were very yummy cakes, too!

In stitchy news, I did finish my Santa . . .

I do love the way he turned out! Sometimes, when I'm working off-the-cuff, I envision a final product and it doesn't quite happen. With Mr. Crescent Santa, it happened!

I've also been working on something pumpkin. Don't laugh!

Just a little pumpkin stitchery on a kitchen towel. My hope is to finish it up this afternoon. When I'm stitching on pieces like this, where the back will be exposed, I work hard to keep the back clean . . .

I did a pretty decent job of it on this one. When I started to stitch the French knots, I was hiding my floss strand in previous stitches, and it wasn't until *after* I make the knot and rehidden my floss that I realized I was stitching on the WRONG (aka, the right) side.  

Ugh. Silly me! I'm not sure if it speaks to what a great job I'm doing on the back, or the quality of my stitching on the front! {grin} Luckily I was able to pull the "stitches in error" without compromising the existing stitches.

Todd and I were doing some WalMart shopping and I spotted this . . .

Which obviously came home with me.  LOL!  I couldn't resist! Happy birthday to me!!

On my stash report . . . well, there's nothing to report.

Is that like "no news is good news"?  Eh, probably not. Wow -- Week 41 . . . you know what that means, right? Christmas Day will be Week 52 . . . I won't do the math. ;)

That's it for me.  I'm linking up with Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts this morning. Enjoy this beautiful day to the fullest! And remember . . . weather is not the only factor in what makes your day beautiful!

:)

rabbit, rabbit . . .

(At least on the blog. It would have been more effective if I'd posted on the first of October. C'est la vie.)

It's been a long, busy week ... and more of the same is promised over the next two weeks!  But there's been happy, fun things, too. We kicked it off with one last "in the water" boat ride with Joc and her family.  The little girls so enjoy it, which makes my heart very happy!

The only trouble with boating on a Sunday afternoon/evening is that it makes for a long night (I know, cry me a river, right?) on a work night. But it's worth it!

The week was filled with long days of prepping for our annual meeting.  One more week of that and then the actual meeting itself the following week.  And then an extended long weekend! 

Friday finally came and the weather cooled off significantly, so I made some Buttery Pumpkin Pie Fudge to kick off my favorite month of all things pumpkin. It's a Paula Deen recipe and it's very tasty, made enough to share with some of my favorite people, and made a pretty decent breakfast appetizer . . .

With a cup of pumpkin spice tea, of course. (Of course!)

Friday afternoon, I met my parents and we hightailed it off to Taft, Tennessee, home to Lyon Family Farms and a fun pumpkin patch.  There we met Joc, Ellie and Evey and headed in for a fabulous afternoon!

What fun to walk around the farm with four generations of family! It really is a treat having my folks here. We had such a blast . . . and we all came home with pumpkins, from the "you pick 'em" hayride. No shock there, right??

Speaking of family, Joc sent me this pic earlier in the week.  You've heard of bats in the belfry, right? 

What about cats in the [dollhouse] garret? Ha! Last week I joked about linking up Todd's catfish to Feline Friday. No joke today!

Saturday afforded me some time in the Nook.  I played around with these hexies for a bit . . .

I have thoughts about them but I haven't settled on anything concrete. I also started and finished this darling little stacked wool Christmas tree.  

It's prettier than the photo shows. It was a kit from Primitive Gatherings, but it came sans pattern. Have I ever mentioned I get by with a little help from my friends?  In this case, it was friend Janet who came to my rescue -- she lent me a copy of the book that has the pattern (and sent some sweet gifties as well), so I could finish it up. One of the gifties was a couple of darling pumpkin prints . . .

I definitely need to use these in an upcoming fall project!!

I also have made good progress on the wool Santa . . .

I'm very pleased with him. I just need to re-cut the stars, blanket stitch them, and attach to the hat. That will be my slow stitching for today and two ornaments finished this weekend. Whoohoo! I was rather tickled with myself to discover I already have a very similar Santa ornament in tin:

I guess I have a thing for crescent moon Santas??

So my stash took a bit of a turn, thanks to pumpkin goodness, this week:

But as I said, I already have a project in mind for it, so it should be right back out in the next couple of weeks!

Linking up the stash report to Patchwork Times, and the slooooow Sunday stitching to Kathy's Quilts. And that's it for me today -- y'all enjoy a sweet Sunday!

:)