***Holiday Planning, 2014***

[FelineFriend]

I'm crocheting the loop in the red-white-red/white variegated holiday potholders,for Dneighbor, right now. The potholders turned out so beautiful, they take 3+ or 4 hours to complete, from beginning to end, with little breaks in between. They're fancy, so I doubt that I'll make them for anyone again- except myself. I love the red/white together, because she has red/white accent kitchen colors, for Christmas AND Valentine's Day- but especially, for EVERY DAY!

Next, I'll do the DGD's butterflies Granny afghan.

[blessedw2]

dharriet.. they are lucky to have you volunteer! What a blessing you are giving back.

[blessedw2]

My work for the holiday's is getting ready for d family coming in and making it special.
I have my bathroom being worked on bc a pipe was dripping inside the wall and all the tiles kerplunked and my kitchen 1/2 ceiling bowed and 1/8 broke open.
so that should look nice.

Things that I have to think of:
hotel for the 22 of dec downtown and have all of us home evening of 23 or am at 24
presents for french family
brunch christmas morning
decorations
christmas stockings for french family
I also will have to think of bedrooms and bathrooms. Dh and I are giving the 2 girls our bedroom
I also might set up a bedroom in our basement (so buy 2 blow up beds)

My goal is to be completely ready for Christmas on Dec 15 to the 20th

[Nancy]

Trunk or treat anyone? Just heard of these try pintrest for ideas.
decorate your van or trunk with friends for holiday fun. Have you done that seen it or been to one?

[FelineFriend]

Current Catalog emailed last night, to say they've shipped our holiday return address labels.
When they arrive, I'll put them onto the card envelopes, then wait for Christmas postage stamps to come out.

Oh, and I need to address an extra Christmas card to a new pen pal, who's a really nice lady,too.

[FelineFriend]

I'm slowly working on the afghan today. The butterflies looked hideous sewn on! I did 3 of them, wasted a lot of good time, so changed things around. I have 1 square with a raspberry center, edged in raspberry next to the last row, and white Grannies with raspberry rows next to the last row, the last rows on all squares is white DC in each chain and stitch around.

Now, I have these things to do:

1- I'm almost finished with the afghan; probably will be edging it tomorrow. I'm joining squares this evening.
2- for DGD, I'll make her dolly a matching Granny afghan, just like hers. She adores her dolly, will feel so special how her dolly's blanket matches her and it's a win-win situation.
3- for DGS's (3.5 AND 5.5) making EACH boy 1 puppet, (yet to do), and they'll match their afghan colors.
4- put return address labels on holiday card envelopes, when the labels arrive.
5- purchase and add holiday postage stamps to the cards.
6- address 2 mailers, for kitchen crocheted gift items.
7- will wrap individual scrunchies for a down's syndrome young woman, to send her a special "surprise" gift from me.
7- wrap those small kitchen gifts, write a letter, put the cards/letters into the mailers.
8- mail the 2 mailers and holiday cards on Dec. 3, which seems to be a good time for us, especially since Wed. is desk day AND anti-procrastination day for me.

I read an e-book this a.m. (29 pages long only), about destressing before the holidays, to deal with it easier, but nothing was said about making gifts FOR the holidays, the stress induced by the deadlines, or anything of the kind! Weird, I thought. I went back to B 'n' N to search for a new e-book on handling stress of the holidays. I did not purchase one, but as I read through the info on each book, I realized, how there was one book, putting it: Christmas and the holidays are for family, friends, enjoying each other, the giving behind the gifts, to make them special for others, to make memories, etc... And when you look at the holidays, in a more relaxed and rewarding way like that, it's not as stressful. It's more of a joy! I feel much-much better, simplifying the gift-making for the 3 youngest grands, as they each get $ gifts from us, for their parents to purchase for them, what the kids want or need. My handmade gifts are adequate. I can't write stories by deadlines, during the holidays and crochet a gadzillion gifts, too. I'm refusing to put that extra pressure on myself. Way to go, for me, to say "NO" to myself. The road was paved with good intentions. I forgot the rest of that quote. The road to heaven or hell? I forgot.

[blessedw2]

I am so happy you got those things done (envelopes with stickers too awesome)
most of all I am so proud of you on such an enlightened moment regarding simplifying for Christmas for yourself.
really awesome d Friend!

[blessedw2]

I too came to the same realization this morning while I was working in the basement with my desk things and going through my sewing and craft things. I realized that my disorganized and wishful thinking brain has been taking over my heart where there should be reality of what I can actually do.

original plans ]for the holiday crafts
knit girls gloves
finish cross stitch for mom
make photo ornaments for tree's and share with family
Make ornaments sewing for visiting relatives
take dd youngers art work and put into a book
make baby book up to date for her
dd older take all photos from college that I have and put in book
get mom's picture printed (her broach of her grandparents was stolen this year or tossed by cleaning company) My great grandmother wore it all of her life
(I had take a picture of it last summer and I am having it put on a mat and framed) (ordered) done


Changed my list for Holiday crafts: reality (which might have to be pared down even more)

photo ornaments (for family, our tree and visiting relatives)
take dd youngers art work and make book
take dd olders college pictures and make book (photo printed type book)

[FelineFriend]

Blessedw2 ~ Your pared down list sounds good to me,too!

I've moved my holiday-home journal binder into my small office, took it off the dining room table, where it was truly clutter.

I'm crocheting round 1 on DGD's Christmas afghan. I'm on the light raspberry row now. I'll do variegated, white, and see how it goes from there.

I'm excited because I only have this left to do:
1- finish DGD's afghan edging,
2- make and finish DGD's dolly's afghan, edge it.
3- make DGS-5.5 a red puppy puppet,
4- make DGS-3.5 a blue puppy puppet.
5- add labels and holiday stamps, to the all-finished holiday cards.

OH! With Thanksgiving coming up, I need to:
1- write DD, inviting her and DGS-18 to Thanksgiving dinner.
2- clean the entry hall china cabinet.
3- clean the dining room china cabinet.
4- re-decorate the eating bar shelves.
5- re-decorate the bunny room.
6- clean the pantry floor good.
7- decide if I want to use a tablecloth for Thanksgiving or keep our nicely patterned pub table showing.

Then, with New Year's Eve, around the corner, I need to:
1- decide if we want snacks on New Year's Eve, or just eat nothing to celebrate.
2- work on my 2015 day planner.
3- work on my 2015 resolutions, for all year, different things for different months.
4- decide how I want to decorate for Valentine's Day, into the New Year, after Christmas.
5- plan on projects to do/make in Jan./Feb. 2015, too.

I wonder if we'll have a Holiday Planning, 2015, thread, for holidays throughout the year. There are:
- Valentine's Day,
- St. Patrick's Day,
- Easter,
- Mother's Day,
- Arbor Day,
- Father's Day,
- graduations and/or weddings,
- Memorial Day,
- 4th of July,
- First Day of Summer (OH! Spring and Fall, too!)
- Labor Day,
- Halloween,
- Thanksgiving,
- Christmas,
- New Year's Day again. So I suppose we could use a plain holiday thread in 2015, for year-round holidays. It's a thought anyway. What do you guys think? Any ideas?

[BookSaver]

This seems to be as good a place as any to note ideas for DMIL for Christmas gift.

* Sew a mat for under her sewing machine. I really like the one I made for myself because there are pockets that hang down in front of the table, which works well for keeping small tools handy like seam ripper, thread snips, small ruler, etc. Now that her sewing area is reduced to only a corner of her bedroom, she has very limited table space.

Next time we go up north to visit her, I will need to measure her sewing table. I might be able to figure out a way to put pockets that will hang down the right side of the table as well as in front.