A Merry Christmas Post

GR&DF I do thank you for all the input on Christmas Films.... I knew that would get you thinking. The films that we love and the associations we make are deep - especially for the Holidays and our own Family traditions. I should have been more clear as to how I built the list - I tried to only pick titles that are readily available on DVD. That is why I left off two really good Christmas Carols. Both of them are adaptations of the story and TV productions - both are set in the US - the first is "An American Christmas Carol" - 1979 - starring Henry Winkler. A really good solid piece, and it has been released onto DVD, but is very difficult if not impossible to find, the other on is "Ms. Scrooge" - 1097 - starring Cicely Tyson and Katherine Helmond. A very loose piece but very entertaining. Only released on VHS and never on DVD, hard to see if you don't catch it on TV - In the comments a film that was mentioned as being left off the list a few times - "The Muppet's Christmas Carol" - is #6 on the "ACC" list, I couldn't leave that one out. Other films that are really watchable that were mentioned in the comments - "A Christmas Story" - 1983 - I love this film and can not believe I left it off - "The House without a Christmas Tree" 1972 - is a really great story and very watchable for the season. Another film that was mentioned a few times was "Holiday Inn" - 1942 - a nice film in places and it is where the song White Christmas was introduced. There is something for everyone!!
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On Friday evening in the down pour we ran out to Pier 39 to do last minute shopping.... how dumb was that!!

The best thing about shopping in the rain is that the crowds are non-existent!! Woo-Hoo!!! So we got in an out of shops really quickly. Here is another shot out over the Bay looking towards Alcatraz....


After shopping we had a quick dinner and then on the way back to the car we waddled up to the mini donut place and got a bucket of cinnamon/sugar covered hot donuts!!!!


We were standing in the rain watching this machine plop the donut batter into the hot oil and then watched...

...as our bucket (yes, I said bucket) of hot steamy deliciousness was filled. That dispenser in the front hold the magical cinnamon/sugar that is poured over these while they are hot. So imagine as we left in the rain and drove, not through the city but around the Embarcadero and over to cut off the traffic and up Harrison going through the Mission and eventually getting home - in the rain munching away on hot donuts!!! A real Christmas Treat!!!!

That about wraps it up for today - I fly out of SFO tonight to spend Christmas with my sister and family in Vancouver. I'll be back next week - I wanted to leave you all a great big -

Take care,

edgar

A Few Christmas Lists

GR&DF the rains , they are upon us - and its wet as the Dickens!! Dickens - get it and funny at Christmas!!! The clouds rolled in yesterday evening and it got cold and wet and will stay that way through next week - if the weather folks are to be believed.

Yesterday I was reading some news stuff online and ran up on a list of the "Top 25 Christmas Movies" of all time. That peaked my interest and so I read and then reread the list and thought to myself -hey self, you could do a better job than that fool. I liked some of the choices but others where just dumb IMHO. I will not repeat the list ( I am sure it can be found easily). I got home last night and got the wild hair thing I get sometimes and sort of wrote out my own list of movies and specials. I broke off the "Christmas Carol" films as a separate list since there are quite a few and they range from really good to barley passing. So here goes edgar's list of fun Christmas Flicks. They are all available on DVD. In no particular order as I don't like to rank these:

- Miracle on 34th Street - 1947 -
- White Christmas - 1954 -
- The Polar Express - 2004 -
- It's a Wonderful Life - 1946 -
- Christmas in Connecticut - 1945 -
- Joyeux Noel - 2006 -
- The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993 -
- The Bishops Wife - 1947 -
- Elf - 2003 -
- The Homecoming: A Christmas Story - 1971 -
- The Shop Around the Corner - 1940 -

Now for the adaptations of Dickens "A Christmas Carol" - here are a Top 10 available on DVD -

1 - "A Christmas Carol" - 1951 - Alistar Sim
2 - "A Christmas Carol" - 1984 - George C Scott
3 - "Scrooge" - 1970 - Albert Finney
4 - "A Christmas Carol" - 2009 - Jim Carrey
5 - "Scrooged" - 1988- Bill Murray
6 - "The Muppet Christmas Carol" - 1992 - Michael Caine
7 - "A Christmas Carol" - 1999 - Patrick Stewart
8 - "A Diva's Christmas" - 2000 - Vanessa Williams
9 - "A Christmas Carol -the Musical" - 2004 - Kelsey Grammer
10 - "Scrooge" - 1935 - Sir Seymour Hicks
and there are many others too dreadful to mention!!

I couldn't leave off the specials -

- A Charlie Brown Christmas - 1965 -
- How Grinch That Stole Christmas - 1966 -
- Santa Clause is Coming to Town - 1970 -
- Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer - 1964
- The Year without Santa Claus - 1974

There are lots of other movies and specials out there celebrating the season - these are just ones I love and watch every year through the holidays. So got there out and rent a DVD and watch something special!! Thank you all as always for stopping by - have a great weekend!!

Take care -
edgar

Crunchy and Savoury

GR&DF thanks for stopping by and for the kind comments for yesterday post. Margaret and Alice both pointed out the flaw in my purchase of the Stable for my Nativity set - the size. I knew I was taking a risk as I did not have any of the pieces with me to try it out, but I just took a chance knowing that it was really the first stand alone stable I had seen - it was sort of meant to be that it fits them so perfectly. Peggy Lee pointed out and reminded me just how special it is to me - after my Granny passed a few years back I have been just chomping to be able to put out the set. She just loved the Christmas season not just because it was Christmas but her Birthday was during December and that made it extra special - she would have been 100 this year.
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Not much going on except my marathon Christmas film watching - last weekend AMC played "White Christmas" - 1954 - for three days - I love that movie - and after about the third commercial break - which makes me just insane!!! - I popped my DVD into the player and watched a much cleaner version without any interruptions!! I love movies and I love the Christmas season.... and when two such wonderful things come together who am I to deny myself!! Last night I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" - 1946 - and "The Homecoming" - 1971.

Also over the last couple of days I have been making a ton of Nuts and Bolts (Chex Mix). Rico wanted to hand out some treats at his work so he asked me to make a bunch up. I have posted my recipe for Spicy N&B on Blacksheep Bakes.

I am also still working on Christmas Rules, not too much progress last night - it's a bit difficult to hold a needle and a tissue at the same time - those two movies just wreck me!!!!

There you go sports fans!! Do stop by again -

Take care,
edgar

More Christmas Treats

GR&DF I am really blessed to have so many wonderful Blogging friends. Yesterday the mail brought another Christmas treat. It was a sweet present from Vera - here is a snap...

Not only is it darling and French, but it is delicious smelling as Vera filled it with a potpourri of Holiday goodies. On the tree is looks great and when the lights warm it up a bit the odor that wafts around is so Christmasy!!! Thank you dear Vera!!!
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I need to finish up the weekend report - as it is Wednesday. Dale and I ran around, for the first time in over a month. He was visiting family back in NC and its really not as much fun running around to the sales and shops by myself. I picked up a few things - here is a snap -

From the top left - I got a new pair of duck boots - I had a pair of duck shoes years ago an literally wore a hole in the bottom and just never replaced them. So for $3 how could I pass these new boots?? I also picked up a painted tray with cocktail drinking reindeer - how festive is that!! I also picked up a few Kachina figures for Rico, he collects them. The book looked interesting and I have never read a bio of Chaucer before, and for $1 how could I go wrong.

Probably the best buy of the day was this.....

I have been looking on and off for a smallish stable for a very long time. I never see them unpopulated and I didn't need the figures. A little back story, back in 1963 when I was Christened a present my Granny made a for me was set of Nativity figures, but without a stable to put them in. These pieces where put our every year in different arrangements and travelled with my family from Mississippi to Maryland then onto Florida. Eventually I moved out on my own and took them with me. I have never been happy with them not having the stable as a frame. I usually do not put them out for this reason - I have been searching for a stable and this past weekend found it........ now here it is with everyone in place.....

It really needed the stable part to pull them all together and it is the first time I have totally liked how it looks out. Here are some close ups of the pieces...



It makes me really happy to have it out - the reason for the season, you know.
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The baking I did was pretty minimal - I made cookies. Some super delicious ones IMHO. They are Molasses Sugar cookies....

I posted the recipe on Blacksheep Bakes - it's a pretty easy recipe and they are pretty tasty treats!!

That about does it for today sports fans. Thanks for stopping by and for the kind comments!!!! Do stop by again.

Take care,
edgar

Blogging Friends and Christmas Treats

GR&DF again I must say how wonderful it is to open up the Blog and find such nice comments - thank you so very much!!! This morning starts off a week of wet weather here in the Bay area and the warm thoughts and kind words are such a tonic it warms me through and through!!

Today's post is a total reflection of how wonderful the Bloggers I have met are and what a joy I find in all the super folks I have met through my scribblings. In no particular order let me begin.

Setting the stage for this buddy..... I carry on with many readers of this Blog through emails, comments and snail mail. A few months back one of my email buddies asked to borrow some Blackbird Design charts I had that where OOP and pretty hard to find. I am all for sharing and helping others. I have had lots of kind help from stitchers and friends and I personally want to PIF in any way I can - so of course it was not problem to make a loan of the charts. In our emails we discussed my crazy stalker like obsession with BBD. I also found out she was attending a workshop that Barb and Alma where giving. I was totally green with envy - and green ain't my colour!! Well, yesterday the charts came back perfectly - as I knew they would, but along with the charts came....

all these lovelies... a box of cheese straws - now I am a drooling nut for a cheese straw!! Also included was a wonderful ornament made from a project at the workshop AND a super bird card - now its not just any bird card but a card with a personal note from both Alma and Barb to little old me!!!! This was so unexpected - and so wonderful!!! Thank you Yvonne!!!!

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I am also a member of the HOE - and I took part in the Christmas Ornament Exchange. My ornament came yesterday from Gaby in Germany. Here is snap of the darling piece she sent me...

It is hard to see but there is a tiny tree charm in the middle. I just love the carol "O Christmas Tree" - this is so special and such wonderful reminder of that great old song, thank you very much!! It looks super de duper on the tree!!

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I also received a package from a Blog-Buddy - she does so much for everyone and is such a kind person!! I am a nut for a few designers, BBD, Sheepish and Prairie Schooler - dear Becky knows this and she sent me....

.... a gorgeous PS Ornament - I love PS and I love my a PS Santa!! Thank you so much Becky!!

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Another Blog Buddy knows I am collecting Sheepish Designs and found one for me. Dear Karen sent me this wonderful chart...

Like a squirrel gathering nuts - I am a chart gathering maniacal squirrel - Thank you Karen for adding to my ever growing "hoard" of SD!!

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I wanted to wrap up this Christmas themed post with a little progress snap of "Christmas Rules" by Lizzie Kate....

It is still a great Christmas stitch - Rico made a comment about it last night.... loosely quoting.... "that's pretty cute, but a bit on the bright side for you, its not gray or black!!" I beg to differ, but I do stitch other colours than grey and black... there have been quite a few dark greens and deep reds lately - even a medium blue!!! :)

I'll try and get a some more weekend stuff up tomorrow. Thanks again for stopping by dear friends!! Do come again!

Take care,
edgar

Some Christmas Snaps....

GR&DF this weekend was a whirl of Christmas images and of course I had my camera!!

On Friday I braved shopping downtown at Union Square - what a nightmare of humanity. I am sure that shopping in a Christmas mob is fun for some, but I am not one of them. I already had in mind what I was looking for so I kind of knew where I was going. Aimless milling about is not fun!! I did enjoy all the decorations and lights and music - and I guess that the mobs are just part of the whole experience - It did seem that every store is tarted up to within an inch of good taste. Here is a snap of the big tree of the city that is lit up on Thanksgiving weekend. It is in the middle of Union Square and is really lovely...

The day was super grey and dingy so the snaps are less that sparkly. While making my way through the "guys" Macy's (yes there are two separate massive stores - one gals, one guys - here in SF) I did notice that the decorations where more restrained than in the "gals" Macy's. I got what I need to get in the "Hipster" section - I was shopping for my Nephew so I needed more trendy stuff than I buy for myself - I then headed over to the other Macy's and in addition to the store decorations they had a roving band of "Dickensonian" carolers - which was really nice and merry!! I stopped off in the "salon du parfume" and chatted with a friend of mine. I got a super buzz off the cologne being sprayed and stumbled out of there with a pounding headache. I hit a couple of other sections of the store and then made my way through the multiple escalators and back onto Stockton Street.

This is the outside of Macy's - Stockton Street - all the little white a red dots in the greenery are actually lights that blink and sparkle. This static snap does not look as nice as it is IRL. On the corner of Stockton and Geary is Neiman Marcus - in the old "City of Paris" building - they carry on another SF tradition ....

.. a giant Christmas tree in the front rotunda. It is just beautiful and so gigantic!! I then walked over to Market street and to Bloomingdale's to pick some other stuff up. This is a really nice store and there are some really great shops attached to this large anchor store in the large mall next door. After all my shopping was over I bolted for the underground and made my escape.

I take the underground to the Castro station and transfer to a bus. Here is a snap of the Christmas tree in the Castro.

I took it while I was waiting for the bus to get me over the hill and back home to Noe Valley.

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On Saturday night we had a few parties to get to and by far the loveliest was the first one we went to... here are some snaps of the decorations...

Walking up to the house just puts you in the mood for Christmas as we were greeted with this lovely site.

Here is a snap of the tree from the inside. If you look to the lower left you can see a head peeking out....

It is Humphrey the camel. Chris got him and had his fez and cloth pack custom tailored for him - and a friend made all the little packages - he was a total hit - and so very festive!!

That about wraps it up for today. I'll post the rest of the weekend tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by, do come again!!

Take care,
edgar

Some Stash and a Flick

GR&DF thanks for stopping by and for yesterdays kind comments!! Now that the weekend is here I am totally ready for the two days off.

A few months back I decided to try and collect some OOP charts. It seems that so many designers are leaving or have left and the only way to acquire their work is on the secondary market - I felt that there was no time like now to get started. Over the past month or so I have focused my attentions on Sheepish Designs/Sheepish Antiques charts. Here are a few of the newest stash additions...

I really enjoyed stitching up "Garden Path" so it was only natural that I focus on the samplers from Sheepish. Yesterday the mail brought a chart I have been chasing for many months - the "Sarah E Pope" chart - this was a really hard one to get. This copy is really pristine - like never been stitched from. I still have a working list of pieces I am chasing, but getting Miss Sarah just made my whole day!!

I also wanted to mention a really terrific film that I get from Netflix and watched last night. "The Counterfeit Traitor"- 1962 - starring William Holden, Lilli Palmer, Hugh Griffith, Carl Raddatz and Ernst Schroder. I really enjoy Holden's work, "Picnic", "Sunset Boulevard", "Born Yesterday", "Stalag 17", "Sabrina", "Bridge on the River Kwai"...and the list goes on. "TCT" last night was a film I had never seen. Based in truth the story revolves round an American born naturalized Swede who is "compelled" to work/spy for the Allies against the Germans in the early years WWII. At first he is just trying to do a job but eventually starts to believe in the importance of his spying. A really good movie shot in many of the actual locations where the story took place. At 2+ hours it never felt tedious or long, I would highly recommend this film.

There you go sports fans -thanks again for stopping by. Wish me luck this evening. I am going downtown shopping tonight - and - getting into all the holiday crowds that seem to accumulate down around Union Square. Have a great weekend!!

Take care,
edgar