Snowman Crowd

Good morning, my friends. Fortunately, I survived my trip into town yesterday. There were about half a dozen things on my list (in addition to the white chocolate bars), and I was able to find everything I needed. In my mind, I was trying to decide whether to get two or three chocolate bars. When I found them in the store, they were Buy 2, Get 1 Free! That made it an easy decision. Three it is. The mind reels with possibilities. 

Not on my list, but purchased anyway...a holiday wreath. They had them when we went on our last grocery shopping trip too, but I wasn't ready. Apparently five days makes all the difference. It's one of the few bits of Christmas decorating we do these days. Now our front door is demonstrating our version of "decking the halls."

Sorry about the blur in that image. You might think that taking an outdoor photo shouldn't require flash. That will give you some idea what I'm talking about when I mention the "Big Dark." It's the Pacific Northwest. What can I say? Hanging just behind the wreath is this little welcome sign. 

Welcome to our humble abode. If you were thinking you'd find a Christmas tree here, you'll be disappointed. The only Christmas trees you'll find here are the ones that are quilted and hung on the wall.

When I got my land legs under me, I made my way to the sewing room to finish off the applique for the Merry, Merry Snowmen. The first addition was the snowman. He's holding a little red bird. The bird will get a French knot for an eye, and two little stitches for his beak. The top of the snowman's earmuffs, his arms, and his face will be embroidered eventually. And then he'll get three tiny buttons for his snowsuit.

Lastly, it needed a Christmas tree and a star.

It's ready now for top-stitching and some machine embroidery. When all that is finished, I'll do the hand embroidered portions. There was time to start on this yesterday, but I wasn't in the mood. Top-stitching is easy, but tedious and time-consuming. I wasn't in the right head space to start on it.

What I really wanted to do was to sit and slow-stitch. I wanted to finish up the fifth snowman for Snow Happens. So, I sat and stitched for the remainder of the afternoon, and finished this off.

It still needs borders, quilting, and binding. I'm hoping to have it finished after Christmas to serve as my winter table runner. I have some good fabrics to finish it off.

So that was my day. It felt a little lazy even though I got everything done that was on my list. I'll start on the top-stitching today. Also, I have no excuses for not doing a Bowflex workout this morning. Aside from that, it's going to be a cooking day. Erik and Mae are hosting Thanksgiving this year, but I'm supplying the sweet potatoes and the cranberries. I'll make both today. Also, I want to make a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread. That will probably wait until tomorrow. When the kids do the cooking, I like to take a little treat for them. The cinnamon swirl bread will be for their snacking pleasure.

That's all I have for you today. Like I said, it was a lazy day. Today will be a little busier, and not having to drive into town will give me more energy for other things. How are your Thanksgiving preparations going?