It's the end of Thanksgiving weekend, and my lovely week off from work ( and it was LOVELY!), and I'm ready to get back to my regular life.
This week didn't really work out the way I intended, I started out by ALLOWING MYSELF to get all stressed about Christmas and what I DON'T have (an unlimited amount of money) instead of what I DO have (a huge stockpile of fabric, quilt tops, yarn and general craft know-how). I was unhappy that I couldn't go out and shop on Black Friday, of all things. I do this to myself every year, stress over the gifts and how I can't visit my ducklings, etc., and every year I swear this year will be different. So I was very disappointed with myself for letting myself do this and not putting a stop to it earlier. This is not what Thanksgiving and Christmas should be about.
So around Tuesday or so I decided that I needed an attitude adjustment, and I would spend some time in my sewing room making things for presents. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! I'm feeling so much better--let me give you a run-down of all that I have piled in front of me here. I'm not a materialistic person, so I don't know why the holidays stress me this way, but it's stopping now.
I've already been knitting stockings (smallish ones for my work study students), and I will add spa things to them. (My idea is fluffy socks, nail polish, bath teas, and maybe some peppermint foot scrub.) They are pink and sparkly at the top--truly fabulous. My camera isn't really working right now, I think I need a new battery so I will try to take some pictures tomorrow at work and put them on here then. The bath teas are already made with herbs--lavender and rosemary--that I dried earlier in the season (with no idea what I would use them for), and sewn into little fabric pocket bags. You just throw them into the bath and take them out when you are finished.
I kept knitting the stockings since they are so easy and now I have a whole set for my nieces and nephews to fill with dollar store stuff--they will be thrilled.
While my mom was sick, I've been working on a quilt for her, it's hearts and snowballs, and it just needs to be quilted, and it's ready. She swears she's hosting the Christmas Eve party as per usual, so I will have it ready then. No picture until quilted.
I had already made some fabric alphabet letter sets for my grandchildren, so I will send those out along with a few little other things for them.
Hillarie requested a Christmas tree skirt in 30's fabrics, so I whipped one up for her with a pink ruffle as requested. It's truly gorgeous. I asked daughter in law if she had a nice tree skirt and she said she had a cheap store-bought one, which will never do. They all (Brett's family, Hillarie's family and Tristan) already have quilted stockings from me from last year, so I am making her a tree skirt with plaids. The top is done, I just need to quilt it. This one will be so much easier since it has no ruffle (I HATE RUFFLES!).
I found a crap-ton of antique quilt blocks that I am really never going to use, and a few other not-so-antique blocks so I decided to make potholders out of them. They are so cute. I will give these to my friends, my assistant and my sister, along with some homemade treats that Kaleigh and I like to make and maybe a small cookbook or kitchen towels.
In addition, I have a bunch of bags that I made from vintage (not sure about the statute of limitations on vintage, I'm using the term more for descriptive purposes) pillowcases that I've found at Goodwill. They are adorable.
I promised my oldest grandson a gift card from Barnes & Noble for Christmas after he told me how much he likes to read--far be it for me to argue with that!
I am also working on knitting some market bags for gifts, but I need to figure out how to finish them--they are pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Below is a partially knitted bag.
So I'm feeling pretty good tonight, I will continue to work on little things, and I'd like to find something that I can make for Kaleigh, but she wants so little that I can't come up with anything--maybe pajamas.
My house smells awesome, I'm making turkey stock with the turkey carcass (such a lovely word) and a ton of vegetables, and I have some of William Sonoma scent simmering on the stove too. The tree is up, and Christmas music is playing quietly in the background. Am I a lucky girl or what? Now THAT, my friends, is an attitude adjustment. I think I'll go knit for awhile, and think about how thankful I am that I didn't have to go out on Black Friday.
