Wishing and Thanking

Good morning, my friends! And how are you all faring with only a few days left until Christmas? I hope your shopping is done, presents are wrapped, and you're sitting there gazing at your lovely decorations... Wishful thinking, right? Well, my shopping is done this year thanks to that wonderful invention: the Amazon wishlist. Oh, it's made my shopping for my three sons and husband a breeze--click, click, click and I'm done! When they asked me for my Christmas wishlist, of course, it contained nothing but cross stitch items. "No way, mom," they cried, "you have more than enough cross stitch stuff." Oh, the horror of that statement: "Enough cross stitch stuff?!" Never!! They sure don't understand stitchers at all do they?

So, what made it on to your wishlists this year? For me, it was the charming With Thy Needle and Thread Wordplay series, Bent Creek's Thankful Quaker, a variety of linens, and some wee noses. Wee noses, you ask--yes these wee noses for a series of snowmen that I plan on stitching "some day!" I sure hope some of these appear under my tree this year... If not, I have a birthday coming up in mid-January when I might just be seeing a few stitching goodies appear from my guys, too. Hey, they should be thankful, right? Just think of the money they're saving by me not asking for expensive things like jewelry or designer clothing!

My other Christmas wish would be to meet each of you in person and thank you for all those wonderful compliments you left on my 2011 ornament post last week... I was truly touched by your sweet comments. Many of you emailed me asking for a picture of my large tree so, of course, I just have to oblige! I moved all my stitched ornaments on to it for this photo and now realize that I'm running out of room. It's looking a bit crowded, don't you think? But, at this stage in my life I won't be getting a bigger tree...We're all about down-sizing at the moment. I'll have to begin to display some of the ornaments in other places--my mantle, bowls, baskets, etc. Because, one thing is for sure--I'm not going to stop stitching my ornaments!!

Yes, all of these ornaments, except for nine, were stitched by me. It makes me so proud to see them all hanging there together knowing how much hard work went into each one. And I truly hope that some day my sons and their families will treasure them as much as I do...

Here is a closer view...

And another...

And yet another...

And below are the wonderful ornaments given to me by
some of my blogging friends from around the world...

As I mentioned, I've been very blessed to make such wonderful friends who share my passion for stitching. Five of them sent me very special packages for Christmas which I'd like to share with you...
I'll have to admit I let out a little squeal when I opened my dear friend Myra's sweet gifts. For one thing--they're blue, my favorite color. But, the main reason I was so thrilled about the little bird ornament, the thread catcher, and her crocheting, is that her work is so perfect--what a seamstress! I can only imagine being able to sew like she does some day... Thank you so much, Myra--you couldn't have chosen more perfect fabrics to make your creations from. I just love them!!


You may have noticed a few of these darling little creations on other blogs. My sweet friend Nia from Portugal is on a one woman mission to spread a "little love" through the world with her cute felt mistletoes. Isn't that a great idea for sending a thoughtful gift to a lot of friends without incurring huge postage costs? Nia made her very own Christmas postcard, as well. If you haven't visited her blog--check it out. It is one of the most positive, upbeat blogs around which makes me love to read it. Thank you, my friend--you always make me smile :)


From another long-time blogging friend, Cindy came this gorgeous Christmas package. Just look at this sweet bird on his pale blue background. I wish you could see this fabric in person--it is just like a lovely spring sky, wispy clouds included! Perfect choice, Cindy--she knows I love blue, too, along with birds. She also included four generous cuts of fabric in blue, pink, and two pretty prints. Cindy, you always spoil me, and I thank you so very much for your gifts and your friendship... I love your pretty bird pillow and I know I'll find the perfect use for the fabric.


And just look at this little cutie that arrived from Jennifer. She read about my snowman tree in my last post and decided she had a perfect addition to it. And she was right! This little button snowman (crafted from some of Jennifer's husband's grandmother's vintage buttons) has made himself totally at home with his snowmen buddies here on the other side of the state. Jenn has been creating some really fun holiday decorations out of her inherited button collection so drop in and visit her at Sweet Pea Stitches. Thank you so much, Jenn--I'll think of you each year when I place him on my snowman tree...



And last, but certainly not least, this lovely group of presents arrived from my blogging friend Edit all the way from Spain. Edit sent me something last Christmas that took almost two months to arrive so we're thrilled that the post offices of Spain and The U.S. worked so efficiently this year! Just look at this lovely stitching themed ornament that Edit made--don't you love it? Her work is flawless and I can't wait to add it to my tree. She also included a tiny ornament, a bellpull hanger, and some beads in Christmas red. Thank you so very much, my friend--I love your gifts so much!

I woke up to the most beautiful sight Sunday morning--the first snow of the season. There is just something so delightful about raising the window shade and seeing the landscape all freshly painted with sparkly, pure white snow. Here is the view of my backyard from my upstairs window. The snow has all melted now and it looks like we definitely won't be having a white Christmas, but it certainly added to the "Christmasy" feeling for a short while.

My wish for you, my dear friends, during this holiday season is...

May your holiday season be filled with love and laughter! Bye for now...