Getting Real

 All the stuff I had piled up in the soap room is now piled up in the middle of the living area. I used to have all this junk in the dining area but I think I need to make a change. That spot is where I have always wanted a fireplace but I am coming to realize that after 30 years of wishing, it's never going to happen so I might as well use that spot for something practical. After the holidays, I am going to Ikea and get what I need to arrange myself a sewing area that makes sense. For now I'll just have to deal with the clutter.

My first project in my new little clutter corner was the Raven towel. I trimmed them....

 ....and hemmed them. No drama.

Now I have to throw it into the wash for a wet finish. The hard part now is deciding what I want to put on the loom next. I've dug through the stash and none of my kits are calling to me. I guess I need to do some homework.

Still Falling

Two days of non stop wind has stripped the trees of all their golden leaves. I was just starting to enjoy them and now they are gone. I'm sad.

 I've been watching all my bloggy friends trade in fall for winter but I'm not ready even if my Thanksgiving flowers are ready for tossing.

I've still got a few days left in November and some nice fall projects to keep me busy.

I've also got fruitcake to bake. It's been fruitcake weather for a while now but my oven's busy with soap. No, I don't cook it in there. I just keep it warm with the pilot light so it gets nice and hard. I should be done with it all the soap on Sunday so I've been gathering the ingredients. I'm making enough this year to last all winter. A piece of cake and a cup of tea in the afternoon is my idea of a good time on a cold, dark day.

Speaking of good times. The Mister is down with a bad cold and he found this amazing booze to see him through it. Our doctor recommends bourbon for a cold. Seriously, and this is some good stuff. I'm using the port to help ward off any germs. It's my go to winter tonic. Both of us can't be down and out at the same time. We did that with the stomach bug last New Year's and that was NO fun.

All Mine

 The Grinch on the side of my Amazon box got it right. I did buy something for me.

 I was looking around Amazon on Friday for Christmas gifts and noticed something I needed-on sale. I love my old Kindle Fire but most of the apps I use on it are no longer supported. It's still great for my Audible books and for reading but I missed my Tune In, Twitter and Weather Bug. Now I've got the best of both worlds. The new one even connects with Alexa so I can just talk to it. It also shows me what she's saying which is way cool. That's my flash briefing on the right. I can see it now. Wow. I'm impressed.

My old Kindle got a gift too. A new cover. It's still the best for reading because it feels more like a real book. The new one is a bit too tall and thin for my taste. I wish I was. Oh, well. That's a story for another day. I've still got half a pumpkin pie in the fridge.

Getting it Done

 Since it was raining cats and dogs all day it was another perfect day for laying about but I had to get up and get moving.

 I had to clear out the soap room from all my other toys. I had soap to make.

 This week I'll be making Valentine's Day soap so if you missed the Christmas and New Year's giveaway, there is still time for Valentine's Day since I haven't made it all yet. The original post is here for sign up info. If you can let me know before the weekend-you're in.

I promised lush florals and I think I've got some good ones. I've even got a couple more on the way.

 I've been wrapping the Christmas soap.

My little soap cabinet was empty after all the fall soaps found a home.  They went fast. It was sad. It's looking better now.

Then there are the cards. I've been coloring and cutting out my little winter village. It may be raining outside but it's snowing in here. Fa la la la la!

Lazy Weekend

This is a familiar scene. It's exactly what I posted about on Saturday. It's all I've been doing since Friday. I didn't get that soap made but I did get one batch wrapped. I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

 Someone asked me which other Santas I had bought. Here they are.

 There are lots of them. Lots. It was hard to choose. I want them all but that's not happening.

 The Santas are easy to stitch. The critters not so much.

That little sheep is made up of five different colors of gray that were very hard to keep track of.

I make a stitch, I mark it off. I make a stitch, I mark it off. That's how tedious it is to keep track of where I am. I did finally get all the stitching done. Now onto those beads. I'll have to find a video to show me how. I've completely forgotten how to do it.

Nevermore

 The last toy I had to put away for Thanksgiving was the loom. I had a few inches and the hem to do and it was quick work.

 Snip. Snip. The Raven's towel is officially done.

So far so good. I don't see any major boo boos on either side. That's a relief. Now I have to weave in that broken thread and get it hemmed. The only problem is that I forgot that all my sewing machines are packed up. It looks like I am going to have to de-clutter the soap room sooner than I expected. That's not really a problem because I have Valentine's Day soap to make this weekend anyway and that's always something to look forward to.

In Slow Motion

This holiday stuff is hard on us old folks. I was wiped out on Friday. No shopping for me. Instead I spent the day in bed watching old movies and giving my poor brain a workout with this ancient project.

 It's an ornament I started ages ago and boy, it's a tough one.

 I was inspired by seeing Dee's latest and thought, why not? I was so fired up I even ordered three more of these Santas thinking I was close to finishing this one.

 I wasn't. I had forgotten about all the bead work that still has to be added. This guy isn't going on the tree this year, that's for sure but it will give me something to work towards-for next year.

A Gluten Free Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving is all about ingredients. I love seeing them piled up on the counter waiting to be turned into something good to eat but this year I had to do tons of homework before I bought the first thing.

 Daughter has to be seriously gluten free so we were limited with snacks. No hot artichoke dip on a baguette this year. No shrimp dip with crackers either. You won't believe the weird places gluten hides. Instead it was chips and plenty of them.

Wine is gluten free. Beer is not. This year's Beaujolais Nouveau was good. We always have a bottle for Thanksgiving.

 While all the cooking was going on I kept the Grands busy making Christmas cards. They got very creative.

 The turkey got gobbled up before I got a photo. SIL cooks it on the grill. It's not only tasty being slightly smoked but it frees up the oven for all the sides.

We had plenty of sides. It was a veggie extravaganza. I don't think there was one I didn't dice up and roast. I even chopped up a parsnip. The mashed potatoes were made by baking the potatoes first instead of boiling them. It was so much easier and I couldn't tell the difference. My big thrill this year was learning how to cut and dice a butternut squash. I had to YouTube it and it was easier than I thought. I'll be roasting them more often now that I know they are not that scary. But first, we have to eat up all the leftovers.

Happy Thanks

That's not a typo. That's a far as I got on my Thanksgiving sampler. Better luck next year.

How about some turkey on Turkey Day? Unlike this one, I hope the gobbler we have on the grill today gets done. I didn't exactly get that background finished but at least I got it bought.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the cleaners and cooks! It's sure a lot of work isn't it?

The Joy of Cleaning

 Uh, oh...the little step ladder is out. That means I'm serious about getting stuff clean. Daughter usually hosts Thanksgiving but since she has the big baby shower the following week I volunteered to take over so she would only have to wrestle with one big event at a time.

 I start in one corner of the living area and work my way around. First up, the top of the fridge. It's always filthy. Now you could eat off it.

 I have to de-clutter as I go. All my toys have to be tucked away in the soap room until after the holidays or there is no room for people.

 I work my way around the kitchen giving everything on or above the counters a good wash.

 My old kitchen cabinets don't look too shabby after a good wipe down. I love the smell of this stuff. It smells like the holidays to me.

I've got the steamer out so I'm getting serious about the floors too. Even the wood floors in the living room area are getting a polish and I dusted all the book shelves within an inch of their lives.

 Getting into all the nooks and crannies has it rewards. I found these old treasures in a unused pot. That's a loopy potholder made by my great grandmother and a crocheted potholder that my grandmother bought me at a church bazaar when I was just a little kid. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Those old aluminum cookie cutters were holiday favorites of my mom. My parents cleaned like crazy people for days before every holiday. The two of them cleaning together is one of my fondest holiday memories. They made such a big deal of having the family over. I miss that.

 Now back to work. I moved my scrubbing to the outside. The lawn furniture got a wipe down as did the garden doo dads. It's going to feel like the 20's on Thanksgiving so no one is going outside but I was on a roll and didn't want to stop.

I even swept the house. I don't mind the cobwebs for Halloween but it's time they go. Christmas lights will be going up soon.

That's a happy pile of dirty laundry there. The more dishtowels I used to wipe things down the better. It means I got a lot done and that makes me very happy.

This also makes me happy. Lovely Lucy sent me this goody bag filled with all kinds of fun stuff. Look at that chicken key ring. You can't be having a bad day when you get a chicken key ring in the mail. Thanks so much Lucy, you made my day!!!