Christmas this year was a quiet one. As I got ready to write this I realized I didn't take any photos. Again. I felt bad for not taking photos at Thanksgiving.
The last several Christmas holidays have been different. At first, I thought this year felt different because of the weather. The weather has not produced a typical white Christmas the last few years.
A few days prior to Christmas we had some pretty snow ...
The new holz hausen with the fresh layer of snow on it.
Then the temps rose and the fluffy snow is now hard pack and rained on and ready to turn into an ice pack out there. There has been no sun for a few days. If there was sun, I know it would be bitter out there.
Christmas feels different for a whole host of reasons, I've concluded. The biggest one, I think, is that my little man isn't so little anymore. He's a big boy now, and doesn't have the excitement for Christmas that he had three or four years ago. I'm wrapping my mind around this new insight and maybe mourning it a little bit. Back in November I asked him what he'd like for Christmas. He said he couldn't think of anything. His needs are well-provided for, apparently. Oh, that reminds me ... the cross stitch I was making for him. He really liked it. I got the "One Piece" done in time to give as a gift. I'll share more about it when I record a flosstube/podcast.
So, until the grand babies start showing up, Christmas's are going to be quiet, dignified affairs for just the three of us, except when there will be four or more of us because we have extended family celebrating with us.
Actually, Christmas Day I was not feeling my best. When I started perking up yesterday I realized that I've been fighting off something. I've been feeling blah for a while. It might have been stress, too. Work has been kind of crazy the last several weeks. I've got a few things rolling around in my brain, and that doesn't help either.
Christmas Eve my husband and I made one last trip to town, before the big day and I said "I need to get lights." When my mother-in-law passed away we inherited her Christmas angels. I think the lights worked the first year we had them. Then they didn't. It was okay, because where I had them I figured we didn't need the lights.
Then this year I said "I have to get lights." Only I kept forgetting.
Anywho, I finally remembered and took the angels apart to verify what bulbs I needed. They called for bulbs that I was not expecting. So glad I looked.
They are beautiful.
And yes, that's Furby up here, giving her stink eye with her good eye. Ha!
The last few days I've mainly bummed/puttered around the house. Still recovering from whatever. The crafty bug has not been spending much time with me either. Last week I finished my Bly cardigan (which will also be shared in my flosstube/podcast) and I only have a pair of vanilla socks on the needles. I pulled a cross stitch piece out of hibernation and have been working on it, off and on.
When I pulled "Christmas 2022" by Primrose Cottage out of hibernation it looked like this.
After spending a few hours with it, it now looks like this:
The light blue on the background is kicking my butt right now. I can't see the thread when there's just one leg on the cross done.
I decided today was sort of a crafty retreat day. ... of sorts. I grabbed all the things that I wanted to get a start on in January. Maybe. Okay, I kitted up a bunch of things and filled out the project cards for them, and scanned in any paper cross stitch charts so they can be imported in to Pattern Keeper.
Yup, a mild mess. This is also a bit of a preview of things I want to share about in my next video.
One thing in particular I wanted to make sure was ready was the "One Stitch at a Time" cross stitch.
There is a stitch-along for it in the Across the Pond -- Stitch and Chat group on the book of faces.
Yeah, I know, I've said in the past that I'm an any kind of -along dropout. This one looks like I might be able to keep up with it. It's been broken down to 10 parts for 10 months. Fingers crossed and wish me luck!
I'm still pondering what my next knitting project should be.
The other day I saw this online and I thought it was so very sweet.
That's been the last few days, in a glossed-over nutshell. We still have the wood project going. Oh, wait. We finished the first holz hausen. I didn't take a picture of it. (Story of my life!) All three of us worked on it. Until my back decided it didn't like standing on the snow buildup around the log splitter and I had a fun flare up. My body reminding me how old I am is not a fun thing.
I have a grand plan of recording a video next week. I would have done one today but I really wasn't organized enough to pull together snow now. There's a lot of stuff I wanted to pull together so I felt somewhat organized hobby and craft-wise, for starting the new year. No plans or goals. I made the point of doing that for this year and I think I jinxed myself. So no more of that! This is reminding me that I should probably go through what I wrote down for 2024 goals, and update that.
Until next time. ... stay safe!
