HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! PRESSIES FROM THE HEART!!

Hello Everyone!

We wish Everyone A Very Happy and Healthy New Year in 2012!

Time is passing to quickly, I can hardly believe tomorrow will be 2012. 

Our weather this past year has been so unpredictable and awful across the USA. But here in Michigan we have missed most of the weather disasters which makes us feel very fortunate indeed.

Usually our Winter snowfall starts in November and by Thanksgiving we have plenty of snow on the ground.  I will admit Winter is not my favorite season. I have to admit I have never seen a Winter like this in Michigan.  We still have NO snow. The photo below was taken on Christmas Day and today on New Years Eve the site outside our windows remain the same.  NO Snow!!  I must say I am enjoying this lovely pleasant weather!! LOL   

My Sweetie has gifted me with some money soooooo I went on a wee shopping spree and bought some things on My Wish List.Some new books and some more lovely threads and flosses to add to my collection. In the Art Kit are 12 spools of 12 Wt. Wool threads by Aurifil. These are new to me and I am looking forward to stitching with them. I really enjoy stitching with Valdani Pearl Cotton threads. During the Sue Spargo workshop I was introduced to Bozzolo no. 24 silk threads which Sue uses for beading. Filato tres Stelle which Sue used for fine applique work is great to stitch with too. A site to buy some of these threads is called,

"Tristan Italian Threads". My very Favorite New Floss discovery this year is the "Silk Chenille from Thread Gatherers in Idaho. Oh,how I love this floss.   

My Sweetie was very kind to create another piece of furniture for in my Create Studio.  It is a very fancy Ironing Board with drawers and storage area underneath. I love it. Thank you My Dear for taking the time to make such a lovely gift for me! 

 Last year My Sweetie bought me a AccuQuilt GO! I have really enjoyed using it allot. This year he bought me some more Die Cutters in "Feathers, Stars and Hearts"! I do have a plan to Create a wall hanging using all my die cutters that will look like our home with our gardens on it. This quilt is still in the planning stage.

 I have such kind and generous friends who gifted me with the very lovely pressies below. Thank you Lyn, Shirley, Di, Wendy and Heather from the bottom of my heart.

Now that I am working more often and cooking is not my thing I really needed some help so I can cook some healthy and quick meals.I am looking forward to trying out my new Mini Pie Maker! Has anyone used one before?

 My Sweetie and I really enjoy watching movies during the cold Winter months. "The Help" we bought a few weeks ago and it is truly a very very good movie. It takes place in Jackson Mississippi during the sixties. We highly recommend it. If anyone has a good movie I would love to hear your recommendations too.  Thanks. 

 During the Christmas and New Year break from work I have found a wee bit of time to do some stitching.Below is a photo of the progress I have made on My Pomegranate Table Rug. I still have heaps to do but I am enjoying stretching my stitching skills with this project. 

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Holiday and I look forward to chatting with you all in the New Year!!  To all my ladies friends, "Laugh Yourself Into Stitches"!! 

Hugs judy 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR

HELLO EVERYONE,

I would like to wish all My Wonderful Blogging Buddies a Very Merry Christmas Season and A Very Happy and Healthy New Year!

I have been absent from blogging because I have started a new full-time job. It is totally different than any kind of nursing job I have ever had.  Hence, with it being very challenging my poor mind is very tired when I get home at night.  I hope in the New Year I will cut back in my hours so I can have some more time to do the things I love, like stitching and blogging.

My Sweetie and I put up our Christmas decorations yesterday.  We did cut back allot on them this year. I added this new Sparkling Ribbon Reef to the collection. 

I have found some time to create a few wool Christmas Snowflake Ornaments.

WE put out the Winterkinder Pyramide which I bought in "Seiffen Germany" back in 2003. The Winter scene display of children playing on their sleighs spin around when the candles give off heat. 

Because we are so busy we decide to go with a much smaller tree this year.  It is a fiber optic tree which is so lovely in the evening to watch all the colors sparkle off the ornaments. I did not get a full photo of it this year because the lighting was not good. I have three Christmas German Smokers that I truly love displaying, so this year they are under the tree. 

The wee church is an exact replica of the Church in Seiffen Germany with its Caroler singing.

Below is a close up of the Christmas tree smoker.  They come apart toward the bottom and you can put in the wee incense inside and the heavenly scent comes out its mouth. 

I absolutely fell in love with them while in Germany and brought home many special ones with me. 

Of course there is the German "Pickle" Ornament which I hide every year for the grandchildren to find.  It is a wonderful tradition they love and as soon as they come in the door on Christmas Day they are searching for it.  It is so much fun trying to find a good hiding place and watching them search for it.

The above cookie molds are also from Germany. They are replicas of the original ones. The molds are pressed into the cookie dough and then baked. These cookies are called "Springerle". 

A few years back I made paper Christmas Ornaments and then painted them and gave them away as gifts. Below is the the book I bought on how to make many different kinds of German Cookies.It is called "My Favorite Cookies from the Old Country".

I was so excited to walk into my Creative room and find my Christmas Cactus blooming this week.  Right on time for the Holidays.  Amazing isn't it?

We've had a love of BBC movies for many years.  This past year we bought three different series of movies. I would have to say so far, "Lark Rise To Candleford" is our very favorite.  We just started watching the 4th and final series of this one.  I will be very sad to see it end.

The other movie is called, The Land Girls. They have two series. We truly enjoyed watching this series but are disappointed there is not a 3rd series.  Hopefully one day they will film another one. They left us wondering what will happen to many of the characters.

The other one is called Random Passage. This one starts out in Ireland and ends up in Newfoundland. A Very good movie. 

When our Winter weekends are so blustery cold outside and the snow is several feet deep then we snuggle up and watch these Wonderful BBC Movies. vbg If anyone has any other suggestions of great BBC movies please let us know.  Thanks 

I hope all my dear friends in the UK are safe and warm after the horrible winds that blew through their country.

With all the incredible, awful, natural disasters around the world this year, you have to wonder if global warming is the cause. 

Take care all my friends and I will chat again with you all in the New Year. 

Oh and by the way it is December 11th and we've not had any snow yet. Huge Very Big Smile. Do you think this is a sign we will have a very mild Winter this year.  One can wish, hey?

Hugs Judy