A Christmas Break

I just love this picture....doesn't Santa look likes he's laughing and saying...."You want WHAT for Christmas?? Ha, ha , ho, ho."

My goodness, Christmas is almost here. Santa has already brought me my hearts desire.....
vintage embroidery transfers that have never been used!

I have enough threads and materials to keep me busy throughout the holiday season. So my blogging friends, with my child's school getting out for the holidays, my house needing a good scrubbing for the company that is coming, cookbooks to ponder over, and goodies to fix, as well as new things to embroider, I am taking a Christmas break from blogging . I hope you all have a wonderful Merry Christmas and I can't wait to come back and see what Santa and the new year will be bringing you! Best wishes for the best blessings, Kathleen

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Unlike most folks we know, we don't decorate right after Thanksgiving, but put it off up until about the second week of December. Probably pretty late by other's standards. This year is the first year we are having Christmas without our daughter......she is in the Navy. Maybe that is why I haven't been too excited to decorate.

However, by the time I got the boxes pulled out of the closet, the Christmas spirit hit me. I started out at our entrance gates and put a wreath on each one.

I then filled the window boxes with holly and poinsettia.

I fixed a wreath out of pine cones and placed it on our worn out back door.

I always have plenty of help. Salem has taken ownership of this box and is still sleeping in it as I write. Sophie is always excited and eager to learn what I am doing.

The tree is up and decorated with the many bulbs

that we have collected through the years.

These are over sized stockings that I had made for my children many years ago. The quilt fabric is out of unfinished pieces made by their great Grandmother. I made the stockings extra large to hold all of those important stocking stuffers.

I cross stitched every one's names on, along with the biblical meaning of their name. I have always thought about making new stockings, but everyone wants to keep these.

I got everything decorated,....if it didn't move, I added decoration to it. Hercules did not mind. He loves staying in the warm kitchen. So I hope that by this time, all of you have your decorating done. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

It all started with cotton and a comment from Ginny

First of all, let me say, ladies....I just loved all of your comments on your special creating space from my last post! It is always so wonderful to hear and to take a look at others working places. Just loved hearing from all of you!

Last week, I posted some pictures of life around the farm on my country blog, Eggs In My Pocket. One of those pictures was this....

Fresh field cotton lying on the road from being blown out of the cotton haulers on the way to the gin. Ginny..at Gingerbreads House http://gingerbreadshouse.blogspot.com/ commented that she would be gathering a bag of that to spin on her spinning wheel. Now let me tell you about Ginny. She seems to have walked straight out of the pages of a history book....full of knowledge and wisdom on cooking, frugal living.. and the lost art of weaving and spinning on the spinning wheel. Go visit her, you will just love her! I have always wanted to raise sheep so that I could spin and dye my own yarn. Well, Ginny got me to thinking.... cotton yarn is also wonderful!
Even though the fields have been harvested, there is still quite a lot of cotton left on plants and on the ground that the machine did not pick up. It will soon be ruined by wet weather, blown away in the west Texas winds, and plowed under by the farmers to get their fields ready for next planting season. So with Sophie at my side, out to the cotton field behind our home, we went. I gathered a small amount to play with and a small amount to mail to Ginny. The cotton is full of seeds and leaves, which needs to be removed before spinning.


I do not own a spinning wheel, so a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do.... I started pulling and spinning with my hands. This is the result.

I emailed Ginny the pictures and asked for her expertise if I was doing this wrong...she was very encouraging and even though this step might work, it would be better and much faster to have a spinning tool. She is anxious for her box of cotton to arrive. We have typed our fingers away talking about farm living, cooking, spinning and dying yarns. I wish Ginny lived next door, she would be so much fun to learn from. Ginny, if you read this, bless you!

The view from my window

When you get the time or the inspiration to create something, where do you go? Do you have a special sewing room or is your dining room table the best place to work? I have used the kitchen table, the dining room table, the front porch swing, the backyard patio. But there are times when I want a place that I can go away from all distractions and sink myself into my work. Since I don't have a "room" , I finally settled on a perfect corner in my home. This corner has a window with a wonderful view.

I moved my sewing machine/cabinet in front of the window. Perfect light for writing and sewing, the cabinet gives a good writing surface and I can always unfold it when I want to use the machine inside.
I have enough room for my pencils, floss, notebooks, drawing papers and let's not forget my important cup of coffee!

On the other side, a little chest holds all of my "tools of the trade". Books, sewing notions, pen and paper.

For me, if I am writing the latest chapter, I need a place that is away from noise, no T.V, no music, but also inspiring. If I am drawing out a project for embroidery, I listen to music, and if I am hand stitching a piece, I watch an old movie. Sometimes I take long walks to get inspired by color or to give my head time to think of a character, check out my country bloghttp://eggsinmypocket.blogspot.com/. But if I work inside, and if I were in a corner with no window, I would feel closed in. This window offers the most wonderful view. It's right above one of my flower beds and I can look out onto the woods throughout the changing seasons. I am planning on putting up a bird feeder on the tree. Where do you create? What kind of view do you have? Do you watch T.V or listen to music? I would love to hear. Oh, one more thing, if the weather is nippy and you need something to warm you up from the inside, check out my Texas pinto bean recipe on my cooking blog http://countrykitchenkat.blogspot.com. They are great for a cold day!

A lovely gift from Patricia, and a lovely award from Linda,

So many good things have come to me through blogging. I get a chance to express myself, a chance to show some of my stitching, and a chance to find other interesting people. The one thing I did not expect,and am just completely filled with gratefulness for, is the friendships I have been blessed with since finding this world of bloggers.

Waiting at my post office was a package from Patricia at Vintage Linen Treasures, http://vintagelinentreasures.blogspot.com/ .

What a surprise to open and find this beautiful wrapped gift!
Enclosed was this beautiful embroidered pillowcase that I had admired while visiting her shop. Also enclosed was the sweetest card telling my why she had sent it to me. The reason......she is just plain out sweet and thoughtful!! And I am blessed to know her....through blogging. Thank you once again Patricia, I will treasure this! If you don't know Patricia and the wonderful things she has to show, go visit her blog! You will be inspired.

Another wonderful blogging friend is Linda from Somewhere In Time http://somewhereintyme.blogspot.com/ who has honored me with this sweet award. Thank you Linda. Go visit her blog filled with such sweet and inspiring things to look at. The rules are for me to pass this to six other bloggers, so here goes......
Patricia at Vintage Linen Treasures http://vintagelinentreasures.blogspot.com/ ,with beautiful linens to show,
Connie at The Scoop, Score, and Deal http://thescoopscoreanddeal.blogspot.com/ ,with beautiful things she has created,
Maryjane at The Beehive Cottage, http://thebeehivecottage.blogspot.com/ , such pretty things all of the time to see,
Shirl at Shirls Rose Cottage http://shirlsrosecottage.blogspot.com/, pretty pink Saturdays and always so helpful when in need,
Dani at Eagles Wings, http://dani-eagleswings.blogspot.com/ , pure inspiration,
and Pam at From Bear Creek,http://bearcreekhome.blogspot.com/, always a good pie recipe to try.
There are so many more blogging friends to go visit who are just so creative and inspiring. Just go to my side bar and click on the names to have a wonderful visit. You'll be glad you did!

A break in-between holidays

By this time, I trust that you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that your dishes are all washed and put away.{: It was so nice to read all of your comments and I want to thank you. The weather here has still been quite warm. Warmer than last year. Our trees are still holding onto their leaves and I just love the little oak tree we have in our backyard. It is dressed and ready for this season.
The picture does not show how really pretty all of the colors of the trees against each other are. This is one of my favorite views walking from the grounds back to the house. Soon these limbs will be covered in ice. I hope to be back later in the week with something "stitched " to show. My fingers have been busily stitching away! Have yourselves a wonderful week!

A Very Blessed Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Delights
On Thanksgiving Day we’re thankful for

Our blessings all year through,

For family we dearly love,

For good friends, old and new.
For sun to light and warm our days,

For stars that glow at night,

For trees of green and skies of blue,

And puffy clouds of white.
We’re grateful for our eyes that see

The beauty all around,

For arms to hug, and legs to walk,

And ears to hear each sound.
The list of all we’re grateful for

Would fill a great big book;

Our thankful hearts find new delights

Everywhere we look!
By Joanna Fuchs

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, my blogging friends. May your day be filled with happiness and blessings, Kathleen