Closing Out the Holiday Season and Wishing You a Happy New Year

I'm signing on to my blog one more time in 2013 to start wrapping up the holiday season and the year 2013 --- and to wish you a Happy New Year.

2013 was an odd year in more ways than the number. I spent much of the year battling health issues and had a pretty major surgery. The holidays were strange, too. In the picture above you see my dog, Sydney, staring intently at our small Christmas tree after I put it up. (Someone suggested she might wonder if the gingerbread men lights were edible!) Normally I put up multiple trees and decorate everything in sight for the holidays. Although we had THREE Christmases this year, we were not at home for the week of Christmas so I didn't do all that. I missed having the house look so special, but I don't think I had sufficient energy to do that anyway.

Our first Christmas was the day after Thanksgiving and was celebrated with our younger daughter and her husband. Christmas number two was the Saturday before we traveled and just involved me and and my husband exchanging gifts. The third Christmas was on December 25th and was spent with our older daughter, her husband, and their almost 3 year old triplet boys. Those boys are full of energy! As you can imagine, Santa was good to them. Here's one picture where I managed to get all 3 in the shot at one time. They move so fast and go in so many directions, that's not an easy feat.

The boys helped to make Christmas cookies, made paper chains to put in the front windows of their house, and decorated wreaths sent to them by their aunt (using holiday stickers, what a great idea!)

Another wonderful part of our visit was that we got to attend the annual Christmas Eve Polish dinner that is a part of our son-in-law's family celebration. I enjoyed it so much! However, the travel by car in California takes a long time if you have to drive through the LA area, which we did.

Both my husband and I returned home with colds; but as for holiday travel, you have to be happy just to make it to and from your holiday destination. We flew out with a plane change in Chicago and I was very relieved there were no weather issues for the hours we were there. The only flight with an "issue" was our last return flight. The plane was delayed getting into Dulles by 3 hours due to a mechanical problem. So we flew out much later than expected: inconvenient because we got home at a little after 3 a.m., but my schedule is all out of whack from holidays and time zone changes anyway.

As for my UFO list, I completed one more in 2013, but it's a gift so I'll have to list it later.
Happy New Year!

Stockings Completed - UFO Checked Off the List

Here are the Christmas stockings for my older daughter and her family. The picture was taken here in South Carolina, but I know they will be happy in their new home in California. Sorry you can't see the personalization better. I have a close up of one of them in the post before this one.

My quilt guild met yesterday for a holiday brunch so I was able to get these stockings checked off my UFO list. We had lots of delicious food. I made a batch of Mint Julep Kisses for my contribution to the food table. They are so simple to make and delicious! The children in the pre-school group came to the meeting and presented their Christmas program. It gave them a chance to practice the program they will give for their families and we loved seeing them. They learned so many songs and did an excellent job!

With the stockings, that makes 3 of my UFOs completed:
Set of Flannel Burp Cloths
Stocking for Friend in Swap Exchange
Stockings for My Daughter and her Family

I should have a quilt to mark off the list in January!

It has turned cold here. I just took some extra hay down to my horse. She was munching away when I left the barn. Time to get back to some Christmas preparations. I hope you are doing well in completing yours!

Sewing and Shopping

Sewing and shopping... if you are a quilter, you're probably doing the same thing. I can't believe that I finished Christmas shopping today! Finishing this early in December must be a first for me. I had to move along this year because we had Christmas with my younger daughter and son-in-law when they were here for Thanksgiving weekend, so those gifts are wrapped, unwrapped, and gone. I didn't know how I would feel about a Christmas a month in advance, but it was fun. Now there can be another one later on.

I've been working on making personalized Christmas stockings for my older daughter and her family. They are almost completed. I got this trim at the fabric store the other day and really like this addition to the cuff. I'll try to post a picture of all the stockings before I put them in the mail. All I have left to do now is to add the loop for hanging the stockings. (I know it seems I should have done that earlier on in the process, but the pattern I am "somewhat following" has you do that as the last step.) The stockings are on my UFO list for the quilt guild so I should have that item checked off when I attend the December meeting.