Gettin' in the Mood

   Crazy busy started early!  My older son was home the week before Thanksgiving.  As a commercial truck driver he gets home when the schedule allows so him being here for an actual holiday is kind of hit or miss.  My younger son and his girlfriend got here on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which was the day his brother left, so they were like ships in the night.  Probably passed each other on the highway but didn't see each other this time.  We are hoping to work something out for Christmas!
   We did manage to get the tree up over the weekend but had a lighting issue that  turned into a 'science project', as my husband likes to say, so I still haven't decorated it yet.  I got some of the other decorating done but that isn't totally finished either. I did go out on Black Friday, the first time in years, but it was to help my younger son with something special so I did no shopping either.  Hmm...kind of sensing a trend here.
    I have been so busy since my last post (though now I'm not sure what I have been doing!!)  I don't think I've had more than a few hours of stitching time.  And those that know me will attest to fact that that is highly unusual! There have even been a couple of times when I have gone DAYS without putting in a single stitch and that almost never happens!!!  Maybe that's why nothing else seems to be finished either.  I did manage to finish the stitching on the ornament I have been carrying around to my stitch groups.

It's a Little House ornament from a while ago.  I have a whole box of these I am trying to get done but so far, this is the only one I have stitched this year.  I usually stitch ornament the entire month of July.  You know, Christmas in July and all of that.  But this year I worked on other things and just didn't get to it.
  After I finished the above, I  started a Christmas sampler to carry around to stitch groups.  I have no deadline for this one and I am frequently still working on Christmas after the first of the year so I'll just work on it until its finished.  You probably remember this Blackbird design from last year.

This is where I am with it now, about half way, and it is small enough that it shouldn't take too much time to finish.

Stitched on 35 ct. WDW cocoa
with the suggested threads

    December, of course, can't be counted on at all for stitching time.  If you don't have whatever it is finished by Thanksgiving, you are pretty much out of luck.  Which is why, although I am not panicking just yet, I am starting to hyperventilate just a bit about my gift for our group exchange.  I ordered this from the Attic when it first came out, about umpteen years ago.  It's a Linda Vinson piece and I think it is just gorgeous! And since it was started (barely) I thought I would finish it for my friend and knock out another UFO, the whole 2 birds, one stone thing.

The linen is beautiful and it is stitched with Belle Soie which you manipulate to get the color in the right places.  It has been challenging because of this but the effect is lovely!!  I only have one 'outside the house' obligation over the next 2 weeks so I hope to get lots of stitching time to finish this.  I would hate to have to give this to her unfinished and immediately take it back!
  Well, that's about all for now from the Burg.  I did some gussying up of the old blog today, hope you like it.  Trying to get more in the holiday spirit. My head is spinning a little from the fast turnaround from Thanksgiving.  Guess what I really need to do is break out the Christmas music, that always helps!
  Thanks to all of you who leave a comment or just come by to see what I have been doing.  I have a confluence of events occurring soon, blog anniversary, birthday, nearly 50 followers, etc. Might just be time for a giveaway!!??