Short on Time, Long on Stitching

We had to make a run into town yesterday. Someone of the male gender inadvertently used a check from a closed checking account to pay our property taxes. In a panic, we drove to the county courthouse to set things right. As long as we were out, we stopped off at the post office to pick up some flat-rate boxes for mailing, and then went to pick up a few items at the grocery store. Yes, you read that right...the grocery store. Two days before Thanksgiving, we set foot inside an actual grocery store. 😱 It was every bit as horrifying as you might think. We flew through the store as quickly as possible, and we were in and out in about 15 minutes. I think we spent about 2/3 of that time standing in line waiting for a cashier who seemed not to realize it was time to panic.

Back home, there were a few housekeeping chores to do, and then I made my way into the sewing room by late afternoon. It was time to start top-stitching the dozen cats from yesterday. And let me just tell you, this is going to be a tedious job. Fortunately, Smitty was there to help. He takes his job as a sewing assistant very seriously.

It might have helped if I'd started on one of the cats with an easier mouth. I was switching back and forth between a straight stitch, triple stitch, and buttonhole stitch, and I think I made every mistake possible on this first one. Fortunately, there are only two more with mouths like this one.

This one with a straight mouth was much easier.

And then, there was this one with a happy smiling mouth. 

Smitty was most interested in that one. He stood by helping me stitch it until it was his purrfect likeness.

When it was finished, he added his purrfumey fragrance to it. Scratch and sniff, you know.

I was working on these while also doing laundry, and so there were lots of interruptions. Only three were finished in yesterday's sewing episode.

I'm hoping to have some time to work on them today, but you know...it's a cooking day. 

While we watched the news last night, I finished stitching this section of Calendula Patterdrip's Cottage.

Now there's just a little bit left to stitch in the upper left corner.

Now I've moved my hoop, and there's just a little bit at the upper left that won't fit. I hate it when that happens. I'll start at the bottom this morning, and then I'll be able to move the hoop up to capture the rest of it.

As I mentioned, today will be a cooking day. I'm making the cranberries and sweet potatoes and one dessert today. I'll be making another dessert tomorrow. Erik and Mae are hosting this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing them. It's been a while. If I can get all my cooking and baking done early enough, I'll get back to the cats. Highest priority will be to trace out the next embroidery block. After all, I don't want to have a stitching emergency on Thanksgiving Day.

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you cooking? Are you visiting? Whatever they are, I hope it's a safe and happy one.