*** Holiday Planning, 2012 ***

[Ivy]

Harriet, That's great that you're doing the mini-quilt tops. They sound adorable. I have tons of scraps and books and supplies for machine and/or lap quilting, but that's as far as I've gotten. I think after Christmas things are done, I might buckle down to teach myself how to do it.

Blessed, your name-writing onto labels for Christmas cards is good. I have to be careful on a few cards, as the DFriends are becoming feeble and might not make it to see another Christmas. I'm thinking about waiting until after Thanksgiving to do my cards.

Nancy, are you all restocked in the deep freezer and canned goods for make-ahead meals now? Oh, I see you knit! WTG! I admire knitters. I seem to lose several stitches when I do straight knitting, somehow, when I go from 1 needle to the other. It's a mystery how they go "POOF"!

Ellyphant, it's great you addressed your Christmas cards, too! It makes me wonder if I should at least make a Christmas card list!

Harmony, Yes, that's a lot of gifts I'm making and I need to really get something done on the two younger grsons' afghans. I'm sidetracked!

In fact, I'm thinking about making myself a list, like a master list, of things for the week, to get done by Sat. night. I think instead of using different list pads, I might take 4 x 6" index cards, give each card a "title" and then put the chore on the card under headings of items like: "Christmas", "Housework", "Reading", "Writing to do", "Exercise", etc.... I'll put them on my end table next to my chair where I write by hand, read, crochet, watch the news and things. I can reach over to the small stack, leaf through them, to see what I can do next. Also, I need to begin using my timer, too. I think 30 min. doing something is a good amount of time and then 15-20 min. up doing other things is good, too, or take a little walk during that time.

You ladies are "Inspirational" to me and I feel more "motivated" after I read your posts! Thank you so much!

[Ivy]

I wrote down different times I can crochet during different shows that I watch during the day. It'll help me get caught up on gift crochet. I'll take breaks to do other things, like making the bed, laundry, light housework, etc... But it's almost embarrassing how many shows I've listed.

9 - 10 a.m. crochet during the a.m. news
11 a.m. - noon, crochet during the late a.m. news
2 p.m. - 3 p.m., crochet during a baseball sports show I like- if I'm not napping by then.
4 - 5 p.m. crochet during "Katie".
10 - 11 p.m. crochet during "Revolution".

I picked out one 1-hour show in the evenings to crochet by because I'll get in so much crochet during the day. I'll use my timer, take breaks, will walk, and take card of the house, laundry, etc.. too, read and write. I hope this new system works out for me! Even if it only works out for only this week, I'll be ahead as compared to what I am tonight.

Hoping to finish 1 afghan, 1 hat, get a lot of squares done for another afghan, and make my Christmas card list. I have my work cut out for me.

[Nancy]

I'm making progress on a knitted cranberry colored prayer shawl and it's 2/3rds of the way done yippie! Got some pumpkin bread at the store ate it and it had too much mace in it for my liking so will not be getting that for holiday meals here counting that for recipe try out! LOL!
Update finished it last night.

[Ivy]

Nancy, Sorry about the mace being too much in the pumpkin bread. It's good you tried it out first. Your cranberry-colored prayer shawl sounds like a beautiful color. I love that color.

I'm setting a timer while I crochet my grson's Christmas afghan so I don't sit too much in one place too long and get stiff. I have osteoarthritis of the hips, lumbar and sacrum. So I need to remember to move, even when I don't "want" to. Sometimes, while crocheting, I get on a roll and it's so hard to stop.

Nancy, Are you knitting the prayer shawl or crocheting it? Good luck with it today. You're nearly finished with it.

[Nancy]

Ivy it's knit.

I looked in the freezer and realized that I've been putting stuff in for soups in bags in the freezer all summer have quite a few of those and will be able to get out the crockpot soon. I have some chili also we are looking forward to that and using the fire pit and the patio this fall. Even one a week will make a difference.

It's nearly time to pick the pumpkin / squash and use 'em for fall decor'.

Dgd is clamoring to mix up cookie dough so that will be next soon as I check and see if I have the stuff for 'em.

[Ivy]

Nancy, Is your yarn thin or thick on the shawl? It'll be beautiful.

You've been thinking ahead all summer to the crockpot season.

Did you get your cookies mixed up?

My left elbow hurts from crocheting on the afghan. It's a 5-point Granny afghan. The center is teal blue, then light blue, and then white, in bands of about 4" - 6". I think I'll just do 1 row in the morning and 1 row in the evening because the larger it gets, the more crocheting there is, because you go around a larger afghan as it "builds" up. I'm right-handed, so dunno why the left elbow hurts from crochet. I'll do other things then, which I put off if I'm crocheting.

My so-called "schedule" didn't pan out 100% of the day. I crocheted during news, twice, but fell asleep during the baseball sports show, didn't even want to see "Katie" so went to my computer and during "Revolution" I might write letters, read, or work on a story on the computer.

Maybe my elbow will feel better tomorrow. I hope so. If not, I'll take tomorrow off from crochet and try to read, since I'm way behind.

[Harriet]

Ivy, sit in various chairs rather than just one, if you can. Also try to notice what's going on with your left elbow while you're stitching. You may be unconsciously tensing it. That's what happens to me, with my shoulders, when I quilt. I have to take a few seconds and consciously relax the tensed muscles, shrug my shoulders, etc. If there's an arm of the chair, it can also make you tense as you unconsciously avoid it with your arm. Taking 24 hours "off" is bright, too. My dd14 is taking 24 hours off from the guitar because even though she's been getting callouses, the tips of her fingers are still obviously needing a break.

Nancy, those meals in the freezer are a leg up for Holiday Grand Plan type provisions!

ellyphant, I'm so impressed with your card progress. If I get mine "done" except for late changes, by Halloween, that will be better than I've ever been able to do. I always say they will be ready by Halloween, but usually miss the deadline! I'll have to wait until my ddad is in bed before starting on table projects this year, either cards or wrapping, unless I set a card table up in our bedroom, which I sort of hate to do.

BookSaver, what kind of loop are you going to use for your star ornaments? Did you come up with some ideas for the small gifts?

One loop/hangar idea from me - check out wedding stationary catalogs for bookmark loops with tassels. They sell them without the bookmarks. I've used these successfully for several ornaments and have only had one "failure" of a tassel coming apart. For some quilt-like ones I've allowed the whole thing to lie from top to bottom of the ornament as I sewed the layers together, so that the tassel hangs down underneath and the hanging loop is at the top. They usually have lots of colors to choose from.

[BookSaver]

Harriet ~ For loops I had just planned to use a few strands of embroidery floss and either braid or crochet a chain. I like the tassel idea, though.

I had decided not to use the folded fabric stars for gifts for the sewing group board members because I'll be teaching them at the December meeting as a make-&-take project. However, if I make some extra fancy ones with tassels to show as class samples, and find some especially cute gift tags, they might still work for the gifts.

I can use the stars for the people in this library group that I just joined.

[Ivy]

Harriet, Is it better to have the arm of a chair support my elbow ow not? I had rotator cuff surgery on 11-9-10 and maybe I'm tensing up my shoulder. Maybe supporting the elbow with the arm chair might help. DH thought I should take Tues. off and go back to crochet on Wed., try 1 row in the morning to see how that goes. It's good your dd14 is taking a break from guitar, too. I feel "lost" and at loose ends what to do now. I noticed this morning, how when I was cleaning the kitchen counters, I was using the left arm, which in turn also aggravated the left elbow.

Harmony, you have 5 DGSs? I have 7. You're doing great with your quilts.

Ellyphant, You're doing fantastic on your Christmas cards!

BookSaver, I've seen gold or silver threads used for loops on ornaments. I have some silver star ornaments a DF gave me and the loops are sliver. The tassel idea is good, too.

Nancy, I admire how you thought ahead with your freezer meals.

Harriet, Now are the mini quilting projects coming along?

[ellyphant]

Thanks for all the pats on the back for addressing my cards! You're all so encouraging. I have a question...when do you usually mail your Christmas cards? I send ours out by about Dec. 3rd. Always have people telling me that our card is the first one they receive each year. I like receiving cards closer to Christmas, but I get carried away and always send ours out early.

Mind you, I don't get the decorating done early or the shopping or the cooking...no, the cards seem to be the only thing I'm obsessed with at the Christmas season. This thread will help me with these other areas, I'm sure, as I see how all of you are progressing with your holiday plans.