Friday, November 21, 2025

Friday Finish

Well I finally fully finished more items.
Some that I finished stitching back in 2023.


One of those older stitches was
 this pattern by Bent Creek.


Thankful Quaker.
I took out the fork & spoon motif,
then added the year.
Replaced the heart with another leaf.


Stitched on 32ct Buttermilk linen.
This piece had some green in it,
while not being a yellow color.
Just wondering if it was mislabeled.
The fabric on the right will be the back.


After cutting out both pieces,
I placed both pieces together
with right sides in.
Pinned all around.
Then stitched all around.


Turned right side back out an stuffed
with fabric pieces for that old lumpy look.


I finished Turkey Trot last year.
Just framed it a week ago.
This one was stitched on 35ct Old Salem linen.


Then I wanted to finally finish 
another piece I stitched back in 2023.
The patten is Wee One Santa 2022 
by Heart In Hand Needleart.
Stitched on a mystery cream linen.


I changed Santa's coat to a red instead
of the called for Pink.
I do need to fix the corner on the right I see.
The bow on the present was also suppose
to be stitched in pick.
I opted for the darker red of the Santa.
Then some of the pink flowers were changed 
again to another red.

Santa will make his debut in one of 
my Christmas displays.
The turkeys will be featured
in my November CupboardScape.
Stay tuned.

In other news,
Bob and I went out to dinner with our friends
last night to our fav Italian restaurant.
I had Chicken Parmesan over angel hair pasta.
Bob wanted their Jambalaya.
We both liked our food.
Our friends both had Baked Spaghetti with
big ole meatballs.
They liked theirs too.
We usually go out to dinner with them
once a month, but we had not gone out
to dinner with them since July.
With my mom's issue and with them
trying to get their house ready to sell...
it was hard for us to get together.
We did make a date for December though already.
It was nice catching up.

Speaking of my mom,
she is giving my sister a hard time.
She is supposed to start using her right arm now.
She is refusing to use it and do her therapy.
Screaming at my sister like a kid.
I dont know what is going to happen...
but she needs to do her therapy.

Well need to get my own work done.
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!
I know I will.

Friday Blessings To All!
Janice







 

Monday, November 17, 2025

Maker's Monday

 For today's maker's Monday,
I wanted to create something for
my one faux Christmas tree.


I purchased these wood circles
from Hobby Lobby and asked Bob
to drill a hole in the top for me.


Taking DecoArt Salted Caramel paint.


I painted the circles.


Then I chose these DecoColor Paint pens.
I wanted to paint some designs on my wood circles.
Can you guess what?


Well the yellow bled.
I was not a happy camper.
I wiped it off and re-painted the orange.
Again it bled. Ugh
So I went over this in black.
It will have to do...
but so disappointed in this yellow paint.


The black was perfect.


So I continued with my designs 
that I drew out just in the black.
This is our last name.


Am sure you know now what I am creating.


Well if not, these are meant to mimic
redware plates.


I did 3 designs and 3 words.


I painted 6 and did keep the messed up one.


Using this white and gold cording.


Tied at the top for an ornament.
Cannot wait to get these on
 my Christmas tree now.

Of all of my art classes I took...
I hated painting.
I would rather draw than paint,
so this was out of my comfort zone a bit.
Not perfection, but good enough for me.

In other news,
Early Sunday morning 
our security cameras at the store
caught someone walking around with 
a flashlight in the dark.
The time was 3:45am.
No it was not a ghost.
It looked to me like a police officer.
Bob thought it was a security guard
of some sort...
but why would a security guard be in our store?
Also why would anyone be in there?
Well Bob called the police to report it...
it turned out it was a police officer.
He spotted our side door open.
He went in and walked around to make
sure no one was in there,
plus to see if anything looked awry.
Upon finding nothing wrong,
he closed our door and left.
Bob goes out the front door,
but parks by the side one a bit farther back.
He swears it was shut.
I told him it was possible it might
have been not fully shut and with
the high winds last night, it opened.
We dont have a camera at that door,
because it goes into a little room
with another door that 
then goes into  the store.
However if  anyone else had come in 
we would have caught them too...
as that is where the camera is,
along with others all around the store.
Thankfully we have great police officers
in our town.
Bob thanked him many times.

Redware Blessings to all!
Janice


 
 

Thursday, November 13, 2025

When It Rains It Pours

As the saying goes...
We needed a new couch badly 
in our living room.
So like another saying
Bite the bullet...
we ordered a new couch.
We decided it would be a Christmas present
to each other.


It took 6 weeks to arrive.
Also it was made in the USA.
It must be a nice once as it was
Tundra approved. LOL
It is a brown tweed and we had it 
scotch guarded as we knew Tundra
would be on it.
Now that the weather has turned Winter like,
we keep a blanket over the couch...
we dont need it ruined by Tundra either.


 I took brown floss colors with me
to the furniture store.
These brown colors were in the red chair.
It is hard to tell, but there are two
shades of brown in this chair.
There are also browns in the rug...
which is why I wanted a brown couch.

Well after we ordered the couch,
our tv in the keeping room died on us.


Working at the bank every now and then
I am given award points for referrals
or great customer service.
Because I am retiring, I need to use
these up or lose them.


 For us employees, there is an online catalog 
 to purchase items within your point value.
With that I was able to get this tv for
 FREE.
Although it is not as big as our last one
which was in here before...
it will do.


So glad we did not have to spend more money.
Since this one is a bit smaller...
there is room behind it now for more
things to add to this wall.
It sits on our antique Jenny Lind table.
The trunk underneath was
 my paternal great grandparents.
This humpback trunk came from France. 
The shadow on the left is my fat self. LOL

In other news,
we had 6 inches of snow on Sunday.
Driving to work Monday morning was a bit rough.

My mom's UTI test came back negative,
so that is good news...but still puzzles us
on why she cannot use the bathroom
when she should.

I am seeing early signs of dementia with mom,
but my sister is refusing to think that.
However she is already exhausted taking
care of my mom and it has not even been
a full week that she has been with my sister.

The weekend is almost here.
Will finish up my Christmas decorating
at some point this weekend.

Are you starting your Christmas decorating?

Thursday Blessings To All!
Janice


Sunday, November 9, 2025

Sunday Starts


Now that it is November,
am starting a new turkey pattern. 


This is an older Plum Street pattern
called Gobble from 2007.


The picture looks like it would 
be a small one right?
Not
I believe this will be 
around 10 inches square.


Here is my start on this one.
Using all the called for floss
on 32ct Old Salem linen.


So while it is only early November,
I am also getting into Christmas mode.
So I decided to start Quaker Stocking.


This is where I am with upper right start.
Doing this on 32ct Heartland linen.
Using Weeks Dye Works floss
Gunmetal (gray Blue)
Blue Suede (Dark Blue)
Schneckley (Gold)


Finally another Christmas stitch.
Joyeux Noel
Merry Christmas in French.
Being of French decent, I really wanted
to stitch this one up.


Using all the called for floss.
Stitching on 32ct Smokey White linen.

In other news,
we are supposed to get our first snowfall today.
And so it begins....

November 10th marks the 50th anniversary
of the Edmund Fitzgerald 
freighter going down.

November 10. 1975

All 29 seaman lost their lives.
This tragedy was memorialized
in the song by Gordon Lightfoot.
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
Each year they ring the bell at 
The Mariner's Church in Detroit.
29 times for each sailor who was lost.
The irony of the Edmund Fitzgerald
was that it was on its last trip of
of the season and was due to unload
at a steel mill South of Detroit.
It never made it.
She went down in Lake Superior
and was only seventeen miles reaching
Whitefish Bay and safety.
Her sister ship was behind her.
The Arthur M Anderson.
The Anderson  made it through...
and this freighter still sails today.
 
The Gales (storms) of November 
are a real thing here on the Great Lakes.
There are many storms that occur this month.
The worst storm on Lake Huron
was November 9th, 1913.
More than 250 seamen lost their lives.
Many lake freighters were lost forever.
It was told that two systems converged
together causing the worst storm
in Great Lakes history.
One front came up from the South,
while the other came down from the Northwest.
The two storms came together in Lake Huron.
About 40 freighters were on the lake
at the time when these storms hit.
With almost 100 mph winds.
Waves reaching 35 ft or more.
It was heartbreaking.

I live 30 minutes South of Lake Huron.
My mom lives along Lake Huron.
It is a beautiful lake... but when a storm
comes in can be deadly for sure.

Speaking of storms,
we are due for 1-4 inches today.
Possibly some freeing rain.
Am hoping for nothing...
one can wish right? 
again UGH....

... And So It Begins Blessings To All!
Janice





Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Whippy Wednesdy

 Up next is my monthly progress
on a few of my stitch pieces.


First is Sarah Casey Unwin.
Looking at the pattern the second 
row of windows has the one on
the left smaller than the others.


I like symmetry, so I had to stitch
the window on the right the same
as the left.
Then the pattern had 8 stitches on the left
of the first windows...but only 7 stitches
on the right of all of the windows.
I stitched 8 on both sides. 


This is one big red house.
I still have 2 more row of windows to go.


With November here now,
I wanted to bring back out 
this Prairies Schooler Turkey.


I did not get very far on this one last year.


Finished a few more leaves.
Not even sure if it will get done this year,
but will plug away when I can.


Finally Feniscowles Hall.
This is my tribute stitch for
my paternal grandparents
and their parents.
I finished the grass on the left.
YAY.
This month will continue on
going up on the house now.
Plus stitch to the right up to
where the grass ends.


Am loving this even though it is
taking forever to do.
It will be all worth it in the end.

In other news,


Mary from Merry Windy Farms
asked me if this was a winder on top.
Yes it is an early kite string winder.
Can you imagine using one of these to
fly your kite in the early days?

Looks like we might get some bad news
on Sunday morning....
in the form of our first snowfall.
Its been nice having temps in the high 50's.
Hate to see it go, but it is inevitable.

Saturday we move my  mom out 
to my sister's house.
She will stay there until the weeks
between Christmas and New Year's.
where she will stay with Bob and I
for these two weeks.
We did do a urine test to see if she has
a UTI and still waiting for the results.

I also must confess am starting to decorate
for Christmas around the abode.
I will have a Turkey display in the kitchen though.
I like to start early so I can enjoy it more.
Bob put up the lights last week outside.
He figured it was so nice out he might as well.
We wont turn those on though until
after Thanksgiving.

Well off to work I go.

Happy Hump Day Blessings To All!
Janice








Saturday, November 1, 2025

The Last Hurrah

Here are the last of my Autumn displays. 


At the end of our hall.


The one quilted candy corn on the left
 I purchased.
The others I sewed up. 


I always like to do a display
on the side of the bed in our guest room.
Just for my mom.


One of my dolls and faux pumpkin.


This hanging cabinet is from the 1700's.



This wall has my great aunt on the left.
A hooked rug I did.
My mom's parents wedding picture.


The antique iron bed my mom
sleeps in when she comes to our house.
This is a 3/4 bed.
Which means it is bigger than a twin,
but smaller than a queen.
You have to special order mattresses 
for these beds.
We opted to just use twin mattresses.
Bob had to cut a piece of plywood down
to fit the opening.
Then we placed the mattresses on top
of the plywood.
I use twin sheets, but a queen comforter. 

In other news,
Bob and I went to dinner last night.
There were quite a few trick or treaters out.
We got home around 7 and it was still in the 
mid 50's. Good night to trick or treat.
Hopefully tomorrow will be good for those
who do it then too.

Dont forget to turn your clocks back tonight.
I wish they would stop this...
but at least next Spring I wont be at work
when they do it again....
and I can sleep in. YAY

Well off to the grocery store.
Bob wants me to make my pumpkin dip,
so going to get some of the ingredients.
We eat it with molasses and windmill cookies.
Making beef stew for dinner.

November Blessings To All!
Janice