Sunday Starts

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm Back.

Hope everyone is enjoying the New Year thus far.

We finally got some snow yesterday.

Only an inch or so, but it was nice seeing it falling down.

Come February I know I will hate it. LOL

Back in September

when my mom and I visited

the family cemetery plots, 

there was a reason for my madness. 

I had watched a You Tube video

where this person had started stitching samplers

and adding her family names to them.

This is when the light bulb went off.

I wanted to do this for my family,

and I would use one of my newly blank walls

in our keeping room for these.

My quest then began for my first sampler.

I chose this one from Scatter Seed Samplers.

These are the DMC floss colors.

The linen I chose for this project 

is 32 ct Belfast Shale

by Picture This Plus.

Since I knew there would be many samplers

that would need to be stitched,

I ordered floss drops to keep my flosses neat

while being somewhat organized.

These came with a matching keep charm.

Not a fan of green, but green is needed in this one.

This is where I am at now.

Gertrude Osiwala Baranowski 1911-1997

Bruno Baranowski 1908-1971

My maternal grandparents.

My mom was thrilled when she saw this

at Thanksgiving. 

Then while perusing for samplers...

I came across a Halloween stitchery I wanted to do..

This one will use 40 different DMC colors. 

EGAD what was I thinking???

I also ordered more floss drops to keep 

my floss organized for this big project.

This is also the bag I purchased to hold this one in.

A fitting Halloween one.

I also purchased this fun needle minder

as they say you should not keep sticking your

needle into the fabric.

The linen for this one is

32 ct Stormy Night Lugana.

Am loving the shades of gray in this one.

I started this Halloween stitch pattern

back in the last week of October.

There are a total of 12 blocks to finish.

I told Bob if I did one block a month,

it would take me a year to complete.

Well this is block 1,

which I finished the last week of November.

Block 2 I finished Christmas evening.

Each block is 5 3/4 square.

Am hoping I can still keep finishing

a block each month, but there is quite a bit 

of coverage in each block.

Plus I want to complete my first sampler,

and my bird and pear one,

and a second sampler I started on New Year's Day.

Also I take a different cross stitch to work,

and do that one at lunch.

That makes 5 Wip's (works in progress) going.

Plus I worked on Valentine goodies

and hooked a bit on my newest rug.

Again EGAD woman...have you gone MAD???

So every post that falls on a Sunday,

will be some sort of a start that I am working on.

In other news,

Christmas Eve Bob and I worked the stores

 until 3:30.

Driving home it had already started to get foggy.

We heard the freighters sounded their foghorns

all night and into the morning.

We went to Michele's for a spectacular

Christmas dinner

My daughter out did herself

with prime rib and every veggie you could imagine.

Her stuffed mushrooms and Eclair cake were

awesome too!  

New Year's Eve we both worked each store again.

Then came home and I made a few apps,

we each had a glass of cheap champagne 

Bob had bought at the grocery store.

Surprisingly it actually did have a cork and was bubbly.

Bob went to bed at 10 and I at 11.

No watching the new year year ring in for us. LOL

Today I will work the gift shop one more time.

We will need to close to move over

 to our  antique store.

It is bittersweet, but for the best.

I have Valentine & some Spring already ordered.

Will need to get the new space ready for folks to shop.

I hope everyone enjoyed their first week of 2024.

May it be a blessed year for all.

First 2024 Post Blessings To All!

Janice

Our New Keeping Room

 

Good morning friends.

Hope this post finds you well and ready

for Christmas.

Today I am showing off our new keeping room.

Back in the day keeping rooms were a room

that was near a kitchen which had a fireplace in it.

Since we now have a faux (electric) fireplace,

I thought it would be fitting to change the name

from our back room to our keeping room now.

I shopped our store and found this fruit tree.

One of our dealers had it in there booth and I purchased it.

This wall use to be our cabinet that had our tv in it.

By placing the couch on this wall now,

gives me more wall space... which as you can see

I have a blank slate for now.

As I figure out what to do, will show you.

Our cabinet to the right of the couch where

I tucked in more wool blankets to use

for those upcoming cold Winter nights.

More fruit and pantry boxes.

We kept the wall cabinet in it same spot.

I just forgot to add some Christmas to it.

This is my4ft antique feather tree.

Right now it just has candy canes on it.

Some day I would like to have it 

full of antique ornaments.

A recent Belsnickle Santa purchase. 

Not old, but still love him.

My horse on top with some orange

to go with the orange in our tree.

An old burlap rug to go with the yellows.

Some brown thrown in too.

Also kept the bucket bench in its same spot.

The fireplace.

(sorry for the dark pic)

Bob's beams on the ceiling.

He did 5 on the ceiling,

but was unable to complete this project.

Once the warm weather comes back,

he will add more wood all around the walls at the top.

Another blank wall.

Another small antique feather tree with a vintage Santa

and my leather deer.

More on what I plan for this wall in the new year.

As you can see though there are no bulbs in this light.

I turned on the ceiling light and three bulbs burned out.

Good thing I had these ones. LOL

A new look for this corner.

This is the corner by our side door.

I just moved this corner cabinet 

from one corner to here now.

More wall space for future ideas next year.

A lil Christmas display on top.

Tried to take a pic of Bob's wonderful beams.

The wood used is over 200 years old.

Once a floor in an old store in town, now a perfect

 addition to our home.

Well thats it for Christmas this year.

I did not go all out this year in the kitchen or bath.

Hope you enjoyed my Christmas home pics.

In other news,

A few months ago we were approached

by a buyer to sell the gift shop.

We took the offer and we close on the deal

sometime in January.

Since this person only wanted 

to purchase the building,

we will be moving the gift shop over to a portion

of our antique shop where it will become

a smaller version.

Bob has already started moving some inventory

to the attic in our antique store.

It will be a change...

but will also free up my weekends

to have more "Me Days".

I will just go in to change up displays

when needed to.

I will also still do the holiday themes.

More to come on the revamped looked.

This will be my last post

until sometime in January when I come back.

I want to wish everyone a very

Merry Christmas

and a 

Happy New Year!

I will be hooking, stitching, and sewing...

and looking forward to it!

Thank you all for your support with my blog.

Without you, I would not have met as many friends

as I have throughout these years.

I hope to meet many more.

Happy Holidays Blessings To All.

Janice

December CupboardScape

 Hello friends.

Well we finally got some snow yesterday,

however it did not stay.

For my final CupboardScape of the year,

the teddies are taking a ride.

Santa is watching them in the background.

Underneath the antique child's sleigh,

is a linsey woolsey blanket that appears

to look like snow.

Hope you are enjoying the season.

Only 6 more days until Christmas.

Sleigh Ride Blessings To All!

Janice

The Big One

 Hello friends.

Today's post is our big homespun

Christmas tree..

I hooked all of mats. 

I had to have a bunny somewhere. LOL

Gingerbread ornaments and the

crocheted stockings I made.

Paper quails, corn cobs and

another blue house I hooked.

Silver and gold ornaments.

Lit up during the day.

Now for a couple of night pics.

Unfortunately I did not quite 

finish my cross stitch project.

I wanted to make this into an ornament,

to add to this tree.

Shooting for next year now.

In other news,

Carla asked me if I could take a pic 

of the waves along the lake.

All along the lake and marsh there is no parking.

I wish I could stop and take pics of both at times,

But alas I cannot. 

Saundra asked if those were pheasant feathers 

on the mantle and she is correct.

Debbie asked who the folks were in my paintings

from my last post.

I purchased these from Etsy.

I actually purchased the colonial gentlemen one.

Received the soldier.

The Etsy owner shipped the correct one 

while telling me to keep the wrong one shipped. 

I decided then to add them to the wall

along with my cross stitch.

Sandy left me the sweetest comment.

It is comments such as hers, that keeps me going.

At times I am so overwhelmed with

everything I have going on that I wonder

what day it is.

In fact I told Bob last night to set his phone

for me to get up for work this morning.

He reminded me it was only Saturday and that

I work the store tomorrow (today),

not my real job.  

Dinner with my family was nice even

though we missed having my sis and BIL there.

I had shrimp scampi which 

came with angel hair alfredo and fresh green beans.

Bob had lasagna.

Well going to make breakfast now.

Then leave to work the gift shop.

Bob will work our antique store. 

A Big Blessings To All!

Janice