*** Holiday Planning 2025 ***

[Harriet]

How did Halloween go at your house?

We had our expected 5 trick-or-treaters, who were Shy Guy (from Mario), Steven Universe (from Cartoon Network), Ghostface (P. G. version), a cowgirl and a football player. HRH and I and ddolder were in last year's costumes, so I was my trusty Gnome!

In addition to a candy bowl, we baked cookies.

I gave a some of my very healthy herbal/spice tea that has a lot of ingredients and looks a little like twigs and leaves and comes in tea bags that are made out of organza. Put them into a bag for each family and labeled them with a card printed in an old-looking, scary-looking font, with the ingredient wording changed from things like "dandelion root" to "Root of Dandelion", lol :

Gᵣₐₙdₘₐ'ₛ
Fₒᵣₐgₑd Bᵣₑw
ₜₑₐ fₒᵣ ₒcₜₒbₑᵣ

ᵣₒₒₜ ₒf Dₐₙdₑₗᵢₒₙ
ₛₑₑd ₒf Fₑₙₙₑₗ
ₗₑₐf ₒf ₜᵤₗₛᵢ
ᵣₒₒₜ ₒf Gᵢₙgₑᵣ

ₗₑₐf ₒf ₛₑₙcₕₐ
ᵣₒₒₜ ₒf ₜᵤᵣₘₑᵣᵢc
Fₗₒwₑᵣ ₒf ₗₐᵥₑₙdₐᵣ
ₐₗₗ ₒᵣgₐₙᵢc

ₛₜₑₑₚ ᵢₙ ₐ ₛₘₐₗₗ cₐᵤₗdᵣₒₙ
ₒf bₒᵢₗᵢₙg wₐₜₑᵣ ₅ ₘᵢₙᵤₜₑₛ

It came out a little more graceful and readable printed than it does here on our site, but I'm impressed that it looks this close - you can get the idea.

The font changer I used was " Fancy Text Generator ", that can be found on the internet. There were a lot of cute ones, not just weird! Something to remember for other occasions.

I had some of the little fall-colored bookmarks made, but dd's family is waiting on theirs. That's okay. I didn't get a photo of the ones that already went out the door, but maybe I'll take a photo of the ones I'm still working on and post it in A, C and Needlework thread soon.



Where are we in the Holiday Grand Plan?
finishing up Public Space Week and starting Cooking Space Week next week!

[Kittykatt]

We don't really "do" Halloween, except I usually buy a few sweeties for G13 yo, who lives opposite. This year, however, and unbeknownst to her Mum (DF CW), G and her little friend decided they would "practice" for Halloween and went trick or treating on the Thursday to a few neighbours. As my grocery delivery hadn't arrived, I only had an apple each to give them, but they still thanked me very politely. Later I received a very apologetic text from DF CW - apparently they were supposed to be playing on the swing, not begging from the neighbours! She have them a good telling off, and they were banned from going out trick or treating on Halloween itself. G was however allowed to come over on Halloween and show me her costume for the party and sleepover with some friends, but not allowed toask for anything. (I did, however, with her Mum's agreement, give her a few sweets). And that was our Halloween!

[trissie]

My dd27 and I got out to the North American craft store chain, Michael's, which purchased the "intellectual property", meaning rights mostly but also physical items, of JoAnne's. JoAnne's is (was?) a N.A. sewing store mostly, although also yarn and other textile art. It's been greatly missed since bankruptcy. She and I found that, at least local to us, JoAnne's has not been gathered in to the stock there yet. Ramblinrose says not in her area in Florida, either. The branding and signage is there, called "The Knit and Sew Shop", but fabric isn't there yet, no cutting tables, and just a space/wall that says sewing machines will be coming. Yarn aisles looked wonderfully stocked to me, but I don't know for sure if there is more now than there was before the purchase.

What? JoaAnne's is no more? I have fond memories of that store from the time I lived in the USA... the second family I stayed with, the mom got me hooked up on cross-stitch so a trip to JA was always be a treat. And, of course, the catalogues that came through mail! Happy memories there... these days, the last I did any x-stitch was when I was pregnant with DS14!

[Nancy]

I have boxed up lites to donate later on this week as the place I go it is not accepting donations on Wed.

[Harriet]

trissie - yipes, I didn't mean to give you harsh news about JoAnne's! Many in the needlework community here have been reeling over that loss. I hope the Michaels dual branding will fill in the gap a little, but the floor space in Michaels stores doesn't really seem to be there, when you remember how physically large JoAnne stores used to be, and the variety of craft supplies Michaels tries to carry.

Kittykatt, well, everything can't be lollypops and roses for youth, can it? I hate that they had a disappointed Mom, but live and learn. And it sounds like you handled it exactly right.

My decorating of the LR for Christmas is complete for me. My dgd C had fun helping with the tree decorating. HRH has put away the storage boxes.

When dd27 comes, she has a few high things to finish for me - like the top of my dmother's "China Cabinet" which is not used for dishes anymore but for decor. Actually, I'd been asked here whether I could use a glass-fronted cabinet for quilt display, and I'd said I didn't have one, but I do have this one. It is not deep, though, so quilts would have to be nearly rolled, plus it is situated in a little more sunshine than I'd like for antique textiles. Have to think about it.

For the first time in this house, I've brought out five quilts, though, and arranged a couple of my own on back of couch and loveseat, and folded antique ones in a stack of three on top of a highboy-type chest of drawers, out of the sun.

I do have a mini glass-front white cabinet, so I displayed some mini quilts in that. Kinda cute.

(Also, dd27 has some decor that actually belongs to her that's still here. And, randomly, a blender in a box????? that was in with it. Hopefully, she can take those things out of here pretty soon. )

In this unusually oriented house, everyone comes in at the den first, so also in the den I've hung a nearly-Christmas quilt of mine with enough red in it to look festive, to the ceiling. I may put the little 2-foot tree in that room again, more because it needs a place than because it will be appreciated!

Cards - After this weekend's possibility of visitors, HRH and I will get out the cards and get to work on them by setting up the old card table in the LR. All has arrived and is ready and waiting for that.

Presents - I'm sure ddil and ddolder will be sure that the 6 grands have their wish lists updated. Ds did call us, however, with an idea for letting him choose for his oldest, and we are delighted to get that input. Then, 2 more - we need to ask dbil about our niece16 and there is one more child in the family that we buy for, and that could be it. We don't do much for adults, but might.

[Nancy]

I have a pumpkin bread baking in the oven.

[Harriet]

A debriefing of 2025 Christmas would start with remembering that I asked the blessing on the food this time - maybe someone else next time. Because I did that, a reading for the children seemed a bit much, so maybe next time I could feel more comfortable reading to them from the Scots again, or asking some questions about what they think is important, what they learned in SS, etc.

Gifting - having an ornament sewn in patchwork for each child was a joy to me and made the presents that much more decorative. Putting those in baggies was the right thing to do, after all, because we had just eaten and some were still snacking. No reason to tempt fate!

Decorating - I know I did the best I could with hanging small things. It wasn't the best option to just have our traditional Christmas quilts lying around on tops of furniture or backs of couches. Oh, well. We live here in a plaster house. I do want to explore the idea of hooks into the ceiling's wood moldings before next Christmas season.

Cards - just ideal for us. Got those done early, and simply. Not too much thinking, since return address labels matched the cards.