Pumpkin Sunrise

  Can you believe that Christmas is this weekend coming up? I cannot. The days are flying right by it seems. We had the teeniest dusting of snow yesterday morning but so far the forecast is for a green Christmas, bah humbug.  How are you? How was your weekend?  We had dinner at my sister's house on Saturday night and exchanged gifts because we couldn't wait. There's a child in all of us! I also received a gift in the mail from a friend AND a belated birthday gift from my daughter. I love getting gifts in the mail, who doesn't? Over the weekend I stitched a lot and here's the progress of all that stitching on the grand baby birth sampler.. This pattern is nice in that there is no backstitching except for the feet of three birds and they are tiny! Hopefully I'm not making any mistakes. We talked to both kids on Sunday, I really liked that.  How was your weekend? A NOTE: I will not be posting for this Friday or next Friday as a bit of a mini vacation of sorts. I th

How are you? Around here things are settling down in the daily schedule. All of my packages have been sent and I am officially done with holiday shopping! I'm looking forward to enjoying the lull between now and the New Year. I might do some Christmas baking, but then again, I might not.  These days what brings me comfort and joy are:  twinkle lights - slow and easy knitting -  talking with the kids - a crossed off to-do list -  sketching and doodling - knitting for myself for a change - knitting with really nice wool - simple dinners - bird watching through the kitchen window while I do some dishes - friendships in real life and on line - the kindness of others - outdoor holiday decorations - the colors red and green - fountain pens - journaling - aspirations for the new year - family living near by -  What brings you comfort and joy? Yesterday we went out for an early lunch at a cafe in a local town, it was nice to be out - we rarely are out anymore and I have to say it will be m

  Good morning! How are you? What have you been working on this week? My son in law lost his favorite hat on a walk in their new town and my daughter requested a replacement hat. Music to a knitter's ears! I eagerly dug through my stash and whipped this up on size 8 needles and have already mailed it to him. I might make a back up hat for the replacement hat in the new year. What are you working on this week?

  How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good! I had lots of knitting time, crafting time, reading time AND I am officially done with knitting for Christmas only if I decide not to knit my husband a pair of socks. I'm still mulling that one over. I'm trying to give my hands a rest from all the double pointed needle knitting which inflamed some finger joints when I did all those fingerless mitts one after the other.  On Saturday, my sister and brother in law came over for dinner and dessert. We try to get together once a week and it's a nice tradition - schedule permitting of course. Sunday after my weekly household chores I pulled out the baby sampler cross stitch project that I want to stitch up before the grand-baby arrives in early February - no official name yet so that will be stitched in once the baby makes his/her arrival. Surprises are the best. How was your weekend?

  Good morning to you! How have you been? Are you almost ready for Christmas? Around here it's been a little full in the days with running around but I continue to find my pockets of peace whenever I sit down and knit. I'm grateful for that always. The house is decorated and most of the shopping is done. I finished my Christmas gift knitting (yay). I saw my new rheumatologist again earlier this week - I adore her immensely, she is kind, funny and oh so knowledgeable. After a multitude of blood tests and asking questions I've never ever been asked before by any of my previous arthritis doctors (the questions were long and mighty), she has diagnosed me with Sjogren's Syndrome . I first presented arthritis symptoms in 1997 but was never in a specific category. I was told back then I did mostly rheumatoid arthritis and a little bit of lupus. Back then the blood tests weren't specific either compared to current bloodwork being done. This new doctor is switching my medici

  I haven't talked about my sister's sweater in a few weeks, so here is a photo update. I'm on the body of the sweater and love the mindless stockinette stitching at night while watching a tv program.

  Good morning! How was your weekend? Mine was full - but a good kind of full if you know what I mean. The photo above was a beautiful sunrise in my backyard.  Saturday, we stayed home and I worked on my Christmas junk journal and knitted on the possibly last Christmas project (there might be one more...). I had fun dabbling in some watercolors and sketching as well. Sunday was a full day of chores. Lots of laundry and house cleaning and in between those tasks I was reading and again sketching. I get so excited to do all the things and then I wonder if I am spreading myself too thin doing all the things! Sadly on Sunday I had to give my aching hands a rest so I did not knit one single stitch. I managed to write out Christmas cards and alerted the receivers to our new address. Do you write holiday cards? I'm toying with quitting the tradition but then again, I like getting them in the mail. I don't have many to send out maybe 22 cards? The list dwindles every single year. The ph