A Little Bit of Everything

I have read all of your comments but I must say I have not been very good about responding. Last week most of those posts were written ahead of time and scheduled, otherwise I would have never gotten that many out in one week. Last week was such a busy week. I think I had somewhere to go for someone else everyday. Even Tucker got tired of not being home. We survived and this week should be a wee bit easier. 

I have been stitching but not nearly as much. I had all these Christmas plans but it just wasn't working so I pulled out something I was going to work on in January. Catherine at I Love to Stitch  gifted me a Quaker Family Registry sampler. My intention is to use the called for colors but make it a personal sampler to go on my wall in the Auburn house. I have the border all done and have started with the flowers. 

I can only stitch in the day on this one right now as the linen is dark as well as the colors and December is just not my fave month with no light so early. Does anyone else want to go to sleep at 6:00? If Christmas wasn't in December I have no idea how I would survive without light. I am a creature who craves sunlight. I actually like winter in some ways because it makes us slow down, but I need more light.

At night, when I am not running around shopping, wrapping gifts, or reading I have stitched on some Christmas ornaments. 

I am in that mode where as I am doing my daily cleaning chores I have to resist moving into my January cleaning out deeply. Seriously, December is not the month for that, but I am ready.

I have read so many inspiring books lately. I ended up reading all three of Emily Ley's books and they have me revved up for 2020.

More on that in just a bit.

I am not doing a Christmas house tour this year, because for the most part nothing is new. I have all the same old stuff out. I will say I have moved some things around so the only pics will be of something different and they will be interspersed in just life posts.

I did put some pine garland and ribbon on the foyer mirror. I have never done that before. It was in my Christmas bins, so nothing new bought.

Across from that my Christmas cactus is starting to really show off.

Not only have I been trying to skip to January's activities when I don't have my Christmas shopping done yet, I have been so reflective lately. I am that by nature, but generally that comes a bit later in the year as well where I think about what worked and what didn't. I always try to improve myself. I always loved that I got two times a year to do this when teaching.... January because it is just the so called beginning of a year, but also summer when I was rethinking the school year. I still sort of find myself thinking new year then as well, but January has definitely stepped up its game in that department.

I noticed that my blog post numbers were way down this year and if I am totally honest I started 2019 thinking I would end the blog in March on my 5th year anniversary. That didn't happen! This year I am thinking I will go to I get a more definitive answer from the Lord to quit. I enjoy the process of writing and documenting the stitching and the housework, but I enjoy reading others as much as anything. 

I don't enjoy other forms of social media. I have never had a Facebook and most likely NEVER will. I try to like Instagram, but it is not the same as a blog.

All that to say, I will be here for now and that feeling has passed.

Onto a lighter subject...

Night view.

Day view.

Lindsay was worried I needed help wrapping presents, but they are all on top of the pool table. Gus, the Springer and wrapped boxes are not a good combination. 

Lemons.

I gathered the remainder of them. I have shared with family and neighbors. I have squeezed and frozen some and now I have a bowl to use for December. I think we gathered nearly 70. 

The weather is perfect today. Typical north Florida weather. Short sleeves one day and long the next. I am not complaining as long as their is sunshine!

That is it for now...

Be back later in the week.

Sandy

The Stockings are hung...

Thanksgiving has finally been documented so now let's move on to Christmas. Nothing new was added except the Christmas stockings this year. Some things have moved around and even one new idea but all with stuff I dug out of the Christmas closet.

I honestly haven't even been to any stores to look at stuff, but I decided a while back I had more than enough stuff and I wasn't going to keep buying just to be buying. 

With that said, I have seen lots on Instagram to drool over.

Stockings...

You may remember that I stitched them back over the summer after the menfolk in my life didn't like the idea of no stockings. 

Here they are with a no mantle approach.

We don't have a mantle so they are hooked on to the fire screen.  Jeff even went out to the garage and found some of the chain from rehanging the light in the kitchen that was a close match to the color on the screen. He took some of that and made custom hooks. They look perfect!

As you can see the tartan ribbon won out this year. The closest contender was the brown like above the picture. More about that in a minute. I think even a Christmas green would look good. I didn't have any, so tartan for the win!

Some closeups as requested.

We have two T's, so Tucker's got a little dog added all from the same pattern book.

You may have noticed the garland above the palm tree picture. That was new this year, but I had it all. I also moved around some of the things that I put out on the shelves this year. I made quite a few changes, but again with all the tried and true long time things of Christmas I love were used.

A wee bit of TV for Tucker. We don't leave it on all day because I like peace and quiet and yes those are my arm weights on the hearth. Keeping it real...I didn't even THINK about moving them.

I will share more throughout the month like I did fall. 

In other news, I have loved my new potted outside plants this year. They are doing quite well. I need to document what works and what doesn't so here we go.

We have dianthus and dusty miller in a three  of the five along the wall. I will say that I have been heavily feeding all of these pots after listening to James T Farmer's Instagram stories. I have learned so much from him. He does a story every Friday that he is not traveling and he is a wealth of information.

Note these were all taken before Thanksgiving and with the heavy feeding are growing still and blooming more. I also try to deadhead daily.

The other two pots have some foxtail fern, lamb's ear (which I am loving), violas, and pansies. I had almost given up on pansies, but the white ones kind of caught my eye and then remembering some things I had learned from the Instagram stories about them needing lots of fertilizer, I went for it again. The white ones are really popping from the drive and I am loving them this year.

That is that...it has been such a busy week of errands. When I get bent out of shape about the many errands I try to remember just a few years ago I would have been trying to do all of them while rushing out the door schoolhouse door at 3:30 finished or not and getting it all done. I really can't complain that it interferes with house chores or stitching or walking or well really anything. Watching Lindsay try to do it all reminds me quickly that I am blessed to be able to help her. 

Working hard to keep that positive attitude. 

Anyone else enjoying Christmas music. Pandora has a station that I have just loved. They play two traditional Christmas carol/hymns, then an instrumental, and one fun. A perfect combination for this lady.

Sandy