In Everything, Give Thanks

It's almost Thanksgiving! Are you ready? I've been cleaning and baking like a fiend--my house never looked (or smelled!) so good. Seriously, though... it's so nice to have the windows sparkling, floors cleaned and vacuumed, and freshly made beds just waiting for a house full of guests! My little grandson (Mister B) arrives tonight and will be here for an entire week--I can't wait! This will be his first Thanksgiving with us and I can't wait to introduce him to our family favorites. Of course, his mom and dad will be coming, too :) My youngest son and his girlfriend arrive from Washington, DC on Thursday morning and later that day 20 of us will gather around our table and give thanks for our blessings. It's been a very difficult year for my husband's side of the family and this will be the first holiday without my mother-in-law. She loved Thanksgiving so very much and I'm happy that she inspired that same love in all of us. How will you be spending Thanksgiving? Are you hosting like me or traveling to be with a loved one?

My Pottery Barn cubby was looking a bit anemic in terms of Thanksgiving decor so I quickly whipped up three new finishes for it. The first one is a freebie from Heartstring Samplers called simply, "Give Thanks." It can be stitched on a lighter fabric or on black, but you know me--I chose the black, in this case 25 ct. black Lugana. I used the suggested DMC threads and stitched it "over one" to make it small enough to fit into my cubby (whose squares are just 4 ½ inches by 4 ½ inches). You can find this lovely chart right here.

"Give Thanks" freebie--love it on the black and I thought the little acorn charm in the upper corner was so sweet!

 

Another freebie, compliments of Heartstring Samplery is this sweet design called "Grateful Thankful Blessed." It is available by clicking this link along with many other delightful designs from Beth Twist. I certainly appreciate the generosity of so many of the cross stitch designers at this time of year! This was stitched "over one" on 25 ct. vintage country mocha Lugana using Crescent Colors 'Pine Needles' and 'Autumn Spice' and Weeks Dye Works 'Chestnut.' I love the simplicity of this design and finished it using a mustard yellow round metal disc that I had in my stash. I think the metal disc was supposed to be used to hold candles, but it makes a great background for round finishes, too. 

"Grateful Thankful Blessed" freebie finish

 

My final Thanksgiving finish is a chart I've had in my stash for years--I'm so glad I finally stitched it! I just love those white pumpkins in this charming piece by Hands on Design. It is called "Give Thanks" and is stitched on 40 ct. woodland brown Newcastle using all of the suggested threads (except I substituted Gentle Arts 'Tin Bucket' for the dark grey color). Do you like the final finish with the two brown fabrics separated by some ecru ric-rak? I think it's my favorite of the trio. Which one is yours?

"Give Thanks" by Hands On Design--love those white pumpkins

A Thanksgiving trio of new finishes for my cubby

 

So would you like to see the Thanksgiving version of my Pottery Barn cubby? I still have a few more spaces for future little pillows, but I rather like the way objects such as the squirrels or the Pilgrim couple add interest to the whole look.

Pottery Barn cubby all decked out for Thanksgiving

I'm often asked questions about individual finishes so I'll give you some close-ups with links to my finishes (where available--some were stitched before I began blogging!). Just click on the name of the piece and it will take you to my original post where you can learn more about that particular finish.

Top row: Prairie Schooler turkey from "Spring & Fall" (Book No. 90), "Be Ye Thankful" by The Cricket Collection  Middle Row: "Harvest Sampler" from a Leisure Arts book called "Holiday Reverie," "Pumpkin Patch" from Just Cross Stitch Magazine Sept/Oct 1988 Bottom Row: "Thanksgiving Spots" by The Trilogy

Top Row: Prairie Schooler Turkey from "A Prairie Year" (Book No. 13) stitched before I began blogging, Pilgrim couple stitched so long ago I have no idea what book it came from  Middle row: "Autumn Tree" by The Trilogy (I recently updated this finish as I never liked my initial one which you can see here),  "Let Us Be Truly Thankful" by Heartstring Samplery Bottom Row: "French Country Squirrel" by JBW Designs

Top row: Turkey pouch from Prairie Schooler Book No. 52 "Prairie Year Rounds," "Thankful" freebie by Primitive Betty Middle Row: Prairie Schooler "Autumn" from an issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine (unfortunately, I did not record the issue), Block from "Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow" by Carriage House Samplings (I substituted the sheep that was charted with squirrels) Bottom Row: "Grateful Thankful Blessed" by Heartstring Samplery (in this post), "Joyful Autumn" by Homespun Elegance

 

 

 

 

 

Top row: The Pilgrim couple are actually salt and pepper shakers that I got years ago when I was first married, "Give Thanks" freebie by Heartstring Samplery (in this post), my dear mother's silhouette and ceramic baby shoes that are always showcased in the center cubby Middle Row: "Give Thanks" by Plum Street Samplings (in this post), PS Autumn (see caption from previous photo) Bottom Row: "Give Thanks" by Hands On Design (in this post), "Thanksgiving Bird" by Heart in Hand Designs

Here are a couple more photos of the entire cubby... Do you have a favorite? I think my favorite is the little Prairie Schooler turkey pouch filled with shafts of wheat in cubby 13. I just love it!

It's been frigid here--a shock after the unseasonably warm weather that we enjoyed in early November! In fact, we even had our first snow of the season last week. It was so beautiful, but only lasted one day. I was really hoping we would have snow for Thanksgiving, but it's getting up into the '50s that day. Oh well, the warmer weather definitely makes it easier for travelers. I'm just thankful that we didn't get that crazy 6+ feet of snow that they had in the Buffalo, NY area. That is my hometown (I lived there until I was five) and I still remember the huge snowstorms that crippled the area even back in the 1950s. I just can't imagine digging out after that much snow!

First snow of the season: Tuesday, November 15th

This acrobatic squirrel wasn't letting the snow keep him from stealing the bird seed!

 

That's about it for today--it's time to get back to my baking! There are pies to be made and muffins to be baked, as well as a pumpkin roll to create, and the cookie tray to put together. Thankfully, baking is one of my favorite things to do... 

I can't leave without thanking each of you for your heartfelt comments on my previous post about the flooded Florida house and the death of my mother-in-law. I cried even more as I read through them, but they were happy tears knowing I have so many caring friends out there. I've said this many, many times, but I am truly thankful to be a part of the best community online--the cross stitching community. I think we chose the right hobby, didn't we? Anyway, we are just taking things day by day and have made no firm decisions on the family home in Florida as of now. We know better days are ahead of us and one of them will be on Thursday  as we gather together and count  our  many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! Bye for now...

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my blogging friends!