Monday, December 2, 2019

Thanksgiving Week Recap Part 1

Where do I begin on such a good week? The beginning...?

My husband and kiddos were off for the entire week ---perks of working for the school system. 
It began over the first weekend with some shopping for Thanksgiving prep and some Christmas gifts. Those weren't so fun other than Jeff and I just had fun knowing he was off and getting in the spirit.

On Monday, we drove out to Alys Beach to Tyler's (son-in-law) job site. He is working again on another condo on 30A. This particular beach community is not my favorite. It is a tad bit too planned and too sterile in its very rigid and strict codes. It is a rather rich zip code, so no worries of me ever having to worry about it. * I had a link to Alys Beach but I don't think it worked so you can Google it for pictures.

I like Grayton Beach and Seaside much better and of course, my beloved Fort Walton Beach.
We ate lunch right next to the building site and then walked over to it. We weren't able to tour because they were busy busy busy bees unloading the roofing materials. Maybe we will get a tour when it is finished.


As you can tell from the picture, the weather was fabulous. In fact, it was completely perfect all week.

The name of the restaurant was George's. It was all good. I had a delicious burger.

Jeff outside so I could show you the sign for it. It is right across the street from the water and next door  to the building site. That green wall in the background is part of a building site. Everything must be hidden from site while the construction is going on.
A crane was living materials up on the roof. Tucker enjoyed this.



And a picture of the family.


On Tuesday, Lindsay came into town and we visited the Eglin Armament Museum. Never too early too teach Tucker about history and maybe encourage an engineering career. Grammie will try at least.


He doesn't look all that interested, but we were anxious to get his picture. He really enjoyed the outside tour in his stroller of the airplanes. It was actually hot that day. I could have worn shorts. 




We walked around inside as well, but he was tired of his stroller by then.


Wednesday might have been decorating day. Shock! I am usually a hold out for Thanksgiving, but after all it is later this year and I was going to be out of town from Friday to Sunday. Lindsay said I should just quit fretting about it and do it. Half the Instagram World was decorated.

Actually we got the tree Tuesday night. The decorations went up on Wednesday. The banisters got their garland, the foyer got dressed, and the dining room. I hung the stockings and Jeff even helped with that. 
I still have to put some odds and ends out and tidy up the sewing room, set up a wrapping station, and  then the pictures will come. I have changed up a few things this year, but absolutely nothing new was purchased but the stockings. I just shifted some things around and dug deeper into the closets.

One more thing unrelated to this past week. Remember the "pajama pants?" I have them on today because it turned quickly cool again. It was 43 when I woke up so I put them on to go pick up Tucker and thought I might not remember to show them y'all again. 
Here are the pants Lindsay said looked like pajama pants. I have no make up and a t shirt so I looked lots better that day with a cute sweater and scarf.

It is hard to tell but they do have a wide wale and look corduroy, but they are pull on and comfy for layering over leggings, so even if you agree with her they are a definite GO for Sandy:)



Check back in tomorrow,
Sandy







Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Christmas Carols Fully Finished

I am back from the most wonderful week away. I plan to share all of it this coming week, but tonight I am finally sharing the long awaited Christmas carols that I stitched. I thought it appropriate on this first night of Advent to do something Christmasy.





I am laying aside the weight of perfectionism with these. They are not perfectly finished, but may be perfect in my eyes which is highly unusual for me. Of course, I get better with each finish, but on these stitching them on one piece of linen and then finishing later caused some to be closer therefore smaller than the others. I truly couldn't love them more though.
Hence I am about to overshare pictures of them.

Let's talk about them for a second because that is what stitchers do. I first saw these on Saltbox Stitcher's Instagram feed. She saw them at a show I think. They were finished so simply and the green and the primitive look of them just captured me. I quickly went on the hunt for them and pretty much stitched them right away. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxunKUxnCwa/


You may remember that I started finishing them and even shared a picture of that. I got sidetracked and had to put them aside for awhile. 


That was truly an inspirational thing. When I went back to them I remembered what I loved about them and quickly set out to change what I had done. I looked to order the original chenille ribbon but LadyDotCreates was out of the country and her Etsy shop was closed.  Oh my goodness, when I went to look her site up I noticed she was having a sale. Oh my... 
I then went to the conversion chart found here to find the DMC color closest to The Gentle Arts Otter Creek which was the called for color in these patterns. I made my own cording and it all turned out just right. Up close you can see the two colors separately but just looking down in the basket they look very blended and match the color beautifully.



Jeff even got in on the action and painted my very shiny jingle bells to make them look a bit rustic. 



I think they would be so pretty done in red and I think that would change the whole feel --- maybe a bit more playful. The patterns also came with berry patterns done in Garnet. Beautiful color.

Like I said though I was so drawn to the primitive green. 
I truly love them.


It is just a sampling of the carols I love to sing and remember this time of year. 
There are so many that the pattern left off...

Away in a Manger
It Came upon the Midnight Clear
Mary, Did You Know
Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

and then 
Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer
and Here Comes Santa Claus.

I mean the list goes on and on.

Don't you just love the reins?

I backed them with velvet also from LadyDotCreates.


One more!


The Christmas decorating began early this week, so I will share all about my most wonderful week of Thanksgiving and then share some of the decorations later.

A peek at one though....


We will talk stockings soon. As you can see the red tartan won out, but we will talk a contender!

Happy first day of December ...
oh and if I may ----War Eagle Baby!
Sandy