Friday, December 26, 2008

Mail Call!


Wow! Another good day at The Mercados, WOO-HOO! Look what came in the mail today...drumroll, please....
Yep, it's my stocking from the swap! This one was made for me by Amy. It's make of homespun strips and is soooo soft and yummy.
It came with goodies tucked inside and I just love it! Thanks so much Amy. Oh, I just saw her pic of it on her blog, but trust me, it's as pictured here, it's like a caramel/honey mustard color. So perfectly prim!
And, while I'm on a roll here with the stockings I thought I'd post a pic of Carol's stocking too. This is the one she made for me last year.
The colors are a little off but hey, I'm thinking I'll just make "mastering the camera" one of my New Year's resolutions, LOL!

Stocking, done!

I finally finished the darling stocking for Carol, is this a sweet treat or what?If my fingers weren't numb I would even make one for myself, LOL! And check out the little button I put on the side ... it's actually the same color as the fabric (the large picture is true in colors, I don't know what the heck the story is with this small one, but you get the idea~ right?)
I quilted the front and the back before I secured the wool applique piece and it has a nice weight to it, I used a binding strip to cover the seams on the inside and then again for the top border. I just love it! And now to mail it
off to its new home, I'm so sad to see it go...I want one too! =(

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Still Stitching...

Well, I was kinda-sorta-hoping that I would have this ready to mail out tomorrow but I must confess, now I'm not so sure. I think the pearle cotton is slowing me down and
is literally a pain in my hand. Geez, you'd think I would have figured out the right needle to use by now but I think I have tried all the embroidery needles I have on hand and cannot find one that is just the right size for this thread. It's big, bulky and so freakin' beautiful that I just keep trudging along no matter what. I sure hope she likes my stocking and appreciates my efforts because this is going way beyond what was required! Isn't it coming along nicely? I have to get back to work now but I wanted to share my progress...
Hope everyone is toasty today; we are snowed in! Yikes!=)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Never Fast Enough

I like to think of myself as slow and steady. I may not finish ahead of the masses but I do, in my own, time get the job done. Last night at GP's insistence, I brought up the Xmas tree. I was going to set it up today (Saturday) but I caught him in the basement looking frazzled because he did not see the tree (as if I had the tree set up in the basement...kids, they think the tree is actually a tree when it gets to your home. Little do they know it's a puzzle that needs to be assembled, fluffed and lit!). Well, I got him upstairs and told him I would find it and bring it up. Needless to say, once he saw the little box he was baffled, and I had to open it and show him that yes, in fact, it was our LR (Living Room) tree. Well, it was like a can of worms...first "show me the tree", then "we have to fix it" (he thought it was broken. and then a big sigh once it was up...even if it was all tied up and bundled, it was up....).
Ok, so my job is now done, or so I think (mind you the tree is not scheduled for Friday, it is on my Sat schedule because I do this all alone...hence GP's bafflement at the tree in a box). Anyway, I go back to my Xmas Stocking (I am in a swap and I am making the stocking that ships out on Monday...it's a work of heart and stitched by hand, more on that tomorrow) which was on my Fri PM schedule...
GP then comes to the family room and wants to know how Santa is going to find him. I tell him that he will find us because the tree will go by the window and Santa uses the tree lights as his gps system. He goes from house to house but he only visits the houses with the tree lights by the windows because those houses are Christian. He does not visit the houses that celebrate Hanuka.
And GP says "Santa uses the tree as a nightlight too"... so I add, "that too, you wouldn't want Santa to fall down and break all the toys!" So off he goes, again. I am in the family room getting a big fat blister on my finger from pulling the pearle cotton with a needle that was way too small.
A little while later he comes back, again...now he wants to know "where are GP's tree lights" (not our tree lights, now the tree is his, LOL!- he still speaks in third person but I was told he might never speak at all so I rarely correct him, I'm just happy he talks!) , I tell him I have them downstairs. He starts doing the frazzled "flapping" so I go get the lights and put them on the table next to the tree and tell him, "Mom will put them on the tree tomorrow, don't worry, he will find you"... and back to trying to finish the darn stocking...
Well, that was it, he left me alone and I made some headway on my stocking. Then when I came back to tell him it was time to get ready for bed, I found the tree was all wrapped and had the lights wrapped around it (Like in the cartoons when they wrap the characters in rope. just around and around) . Anyway, he tells me "it's all done, but needs ornaments..." OMG, I was speechless, he's such a good boy. >Sigh<
So I sat on the floor and started opening the branches and fluffing up the tree while he was taking a shower. I had to first unwrap the lights; I put them on the floor next to the tree to restring them today when I finished fluffing up the tree. Then I went to put on my own PJ's and
when I came back, this is what I saw!
Look closely and you will see he draped the lights on the tree on the side that faces the window!
I just smiled and gave him a hug with a big "thank you" for being so "helpful".
Guess I just wasn't fast enough, gotta love that kid!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Mail Call!

Have you ever been so gitty you just can't seem to stop smiling? Well, it's kind of fun and makes people wonder what you've been up to. Hee-hee.
Today I was feeling super psyched as I ran out to mail the last orders before the snow storm that is headed our way. Seems like just yesterday we had the power outage that made me run to the wood pile at dawn in my PJ's...man, was it cold. Nobody told me the heater needed electricity; it's oil for goodness sake! Someone forgot to mention the pilot was electric, duh. No electricity, no oil heat. Live and learn ladies... you need electricity to run the boiler, LOL! So anyway, the thought of another night without heat made me get myself in gear and prepare for a day of hibernation. I am NOT going out tomorrow, no way- no how. Well, I might have to go dig out the Murano, JIC we have an emergency and the phone is dead and I can't dial 911. Did you know I am the only woman left in 2008 that does not own a cell phone? I don't, really. Now I wish I did, if only not to worry about digging out the car....if I had a cell phone, I could just dial 911 and have them come and pick me up, LOL! That's bad, isn't it?
Anyway, the reason I was so psyched in the midst of all the chaos is that when I opened the door there were TWO packages for me, woo-hoo! And I hadn't bought anything so I knew they were care packages. How cool is that?
One was from Melissa: A treasure trove of Christmas goodies for us ...even GP got in on the goods... although he did say "Oh no, we must send this back, it's CREST!", he was quickly persuaded with the note that said it was for his "collection" so he decided he was "just going to try it" tomorrow. I couldn't believe it, he's going to try a new toothpaste? Woo-Hoo! Must be the matching power tool (oops, I mean the battery operated toothbrush, LOL!) that came with it. Thanks Melissa, you've done the impossible...get him to try a new brand of Toothpaste! Woo-Hoo!
After his loot was safely put away in the bathroom, GP came back to help me with MY goodies. He is totally into decorating (we'll be putting up the tree tomorrow and he is really psyched!)
First he decided to put the friends ornie on the board,see it right above the Snow buddies? I thought that was a great spot... I've taught him well, LOL!
Then he put the candle in the kitchen "where it belongs" ( I do actually have only one place for this size candle and it is a staple in our home because it is the only size that fits in the candle holder I purchased when we bought the house, almost 12 years ago...hence, GP knows that that is where these candles "belong". He's good, LOL! We needed a new one, I'm thinking Melissa is psychic... the new candle is right at home now. Then GP jumped ship and left me to find a place for the wonderful ball ornament (I think this was due to the fact that the tree isn't up so he is thinking something I can't write here...remember the story about the little boy who had no ears and needed glasses? well, I can't write it because it's not PC but that's what GP was thinking about, I'm sure... "se lo ira a enganchar en el **** porque no tiene Orejas" LOL! Inside joke for the sisters...
sorry, I just couldn't resist.
Needless to say, I did have a place for the beautiful ornament: In a basket with some of my other treasures. Note how it blends right in, next to my cute Starbucks reindeer, isn't he cute too? Oh, the chocolates were part of my loot...gotta love it!

A Santa mug made the trip too but the camera was confiscated before I got to that one so I'll leave you with a work of art that I will treasure forever, it was at the bottom of the box just waiting to be unfolded...Oh, I so love it. And I already have it on display. Look at this:
I'm so happy with this totally unexpected box of wonder...thanks so much Melissa, I love it all!

And then there was Box#2!
This one is from Sandy:



Yeah, that's all there is to say about this box...the darn thing came gift wrapped! I like my presents to come unwrapped in the nice Amazon box. How can I explain knowing what's in the box if comes wrapped? Open it before Xmas? Me? Snoop? I think I'll put this one back in the car and hope the snow keeps me from sleepwalking, LOL!I gave it a shake but it doesn't make any noise...maybe it's dead and needs CPR! Should I open it?
I called Sandy and told her it was here (mostly I called because I couldn't believe she had them gift wrap it...I thought she liked me, she's my sister!) but after two tries the magic words were not forthcoming ("Did you like it?") so I gave up...now it sits there on the table staring at me...I don't know if I can stand it. LOL! I'll keep you posted. =)