A Christmas RAK and some TV

GR&DF what great comments about everything from the last post!! Thank you so much!! I did have a couple of questions - the "Merry & Bright" ornament is from the 2007 JCS and was designed by Little by Little. I didn't write down my changes and since my brain is a sieve I am at a loss to remember what they were - sorry about that.

The mail brought the nicest RAK from Ruth -

Knowing my love of the over dyed Ruth sent me a lovely assortment of beautiful colours. Thank you dear Ruth!!! I keep saying it and will say it again - stitchin' folks are the best!!!!

I worked on "E" last night but didn't take a snap as not too much got done - some of the box and that is black stitching - kind of boring to look at.

The flicker was "To Kill a King" - 2003 - starring Tim Roth (Oliver Cromwell), Dougray Scott (Lord Fairfax) and Rupert Everett (Charles I). The story is about the relationship between Oliver Cromwell and Lord Fairfax and their dealings with Charles I. I am a big English History person and this was a great movie for that. Loved the sets, the cinematography, the costumes and the acting was top notch. I had seen Tim Roth in another period movie called "Vatel" - 2000 and he was superb in that also as the evil Marquis de Lauzun. I would highly recommend both of these flicks!!

I just wanted to mention in passing about a couple TV shows I am now addicted to - "Hoarders" - Mondays on A&E at 10pm. I am just fascinated by this show. Last week a women's house was being eaten by her goats and she just closed a door and let them have at it???? This was totally disturbing - and I think I might have built a fence to corral them house eating goats. Does one corral a goat???? I wonder. Oh well if you find yourself at a loose end at 10pm on Monday you might want to give it a chance. The other show I have gotten hooked on - "I Survived" on the Biography channel. Each 60 min show gives 2 or 3 different stories of surviving a confrontation with their own demise in most unusual and horrific situations. I guess you never know what you are capably of until put to the test! This show airs on Sundays.

Thanks for stopping by!! Do come again!

Take care,
edgar

Tea, Ornaments and a Deer

GR&DF Tuesday is here and it is a cold as ever. Yesterday during the afternoon it started to snow here in the city. It didn't stick or make it to the ground and what was falling was very light - but there were flakes swirling around out side!! That is such an uncommon event here in the city by the Bay. The news was full of the snow falling in the Sierra's and on all the higher elevations around the Bay.

Last night was so very cold I knew what I needed - some Christmas tea!! So I hauled out the tea stuff et viola - Jingle Bells tea from Lupicia-


In a Christmas mug it doesn't get much better!!!

I heard that my ornament for the "Ties that Bind" exchange had arrived to Margaret's - and here is a snap -

The chart is from a JCS and stitched on a piece of Silkweaver solo - I think it was my last little piece of this particular solo -

I also put up my little faux feather Stitching tree last night. It took lots of my stitching treasures from past exchanges and gifts to make this little Christmas "table-scape." I do like the way it turned out!! The flash sort of washes it out but you can get the idea....

This side also shows off my mercury glass snow family that Rico got me years ago. You can see that I have a string of fairy lights on the table to light it from below and then throw some silvery fabric/netting over that for a snow effect.

This is from the other side - I really love this little tree and the way it shows off all the wonderful things I have gotten from stitching friends. This is in our front hall and is the first thing one sees when you come in the front door.

Last night I finished up "Deer" and some of the vine border on the ABC Sampler. Here is a snap -

That is one big rack on that sucker!!

There you go sports fans!!
Thanks for stopping by and for your very kind comments!!

Take care -
edgar

Monday Musings

GR&DF it is Monday morning and cold as the Dickens here!!! We have gotten very cold for the Bay area over the last couple of days and yesterday it even hailed for quite a while late in the afternoon. Most of the mountain ranges around here are getting covered in snow. Down in the lower elevations, like the city, it is just wet and rainy - and there is more to come!! I would guess that winter is upon us for sure now!!

I heard from Nic that the ornament for the HOE Ornament Exchange got to her. Here is a snap -

He is a Prairie Schooler Santa from the St Nicholas Book #20. As you know I love these little Santa's and so does Nic.

I also did a bit of stitching on my CHS ABC Sampler - and here is a snap of the progress....


As you can see I changed up one of the kitties. It is the light orange tabby. I was thinking of a Kitty we had when I lived in Mississippi - his name was Sam and he was a total outside Tom Cat. I remember that we fed him in the garage as he wouldn't come in the house. I am pretty sure he was a stray and sort of adopted us and let our family look after him. When we were in the process of moving to Maryland when I was 6 he ran away a few days before we left. I think because of all of the racket and noise in the pre-move. So we left and he stayed in Mississippi to live and hunt in the woods that covered the hills behind our house. There you go a bit of my past and a tribute to Sam the Cat! The grey and black kitty was as charted and looks like the kitty that lives here at my work - her name is Titty Kitty. I am still reticent about the box stitching - I guess at some point I will just jump in with some overdyed something and start stitching.....

Dale and I ran around on Saturday to some Estate sales and here is a snap of the few things I picked up -


I also pickled up a great old wooden spoon but forgot to put it in the snap. The large stoneware bowl is just great - and you really can't tell by the snap and angle but that sucker is about 14 inches across. The Christmas mug is really nice and was dirt cheap. I also picked up the small print of Leonardo da Vinci's cartoon of "St Anne, Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist" - 1499-1500. This work is in the National Gallery of Art in London. It is really beautiful in person and I highly recommend a visit to the Gallery if you are ever in London!!

Being a fan of WWII flickers and history in general I did want to mention that today is Pearl Harbor Day - we shouldn't ever forget the sacrifice and dedication of those in the military! Thank a Vet for the freedoms you enjoy!

There was also some flicker watching - "Therese: The Story of Saint Therese of Lisiuex" - 2004 - a nice little film that seemed to be done on a small budget. Some lovely cinematography - with close attention to the details of the Saint life. It had the feeling of a first time film, simple dialogue and very basic acting - I still enjoyed the story and found myself learning things about St Therese that I did not know. Oddly enough it does have a Christmas angle that I didn't realize when I put it on my queue. I did enjoy her story and "The Little Way" is a very positive message for humanity.

There you go sports fans - Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments. Do stop by again!!

Take care,
edgar

On the 12th day of Christmas....

GR&DF another week passes and we speed head long into Christmas. I read something a while back and have it tacked to my already crowded 3'x5' cork board thing here at work - a Christmas mantra so to speak.... "It's about presence not presents." I really like that little statement..... and even though there are quite a few little things I am sending out into the world - I am keeping it homey and simple.

Enough of that - I had a small finish last night that relates to today's post title - it is a little chart that I worked on over the last couple of days - here's a snap -

It is the December Freebie chart from The Sampler Girl - I think its charming. I love the song the 12 Days of Christmas!! I think the reason for the loveof the song is that in that in 4th Grade at Marlton ElementarySchool we sang it as a round - I was 7 Swans a'swimming. What a crazy memory!! It is charted for DMC and GAST - I shifted all the floss to Belle Soie Silks - I used Creme de Menthe, Teddy Bear, Poison Apple and Mud Pie - I will try and get it finished into an ornament for the tree over the weekend - Thank you Tanya!!!!

Last night was the first Thursday evening of Christmas flickers on TCM - they started it off with "A Christmas Carol" - 1938 - starring Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart and their daughter June Lockhart - the only film where all three family members appear. I like this version of ACC and it is certainly worth seeing - 3rd viewing of this version since September...yes, I am addicted to this story!! This was followed by "Little Women" - 1949 - starring June Alyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Mary Astor, Margaret O'Brien, Janet Leigh, Rossano Brazzi, and Lucile Watson. Again and very nice version of the this story but I really prefer the 1933 version with Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett. I followed up these two flicks with a Netflix Pix.... "Rome Adventure" - 1962 - starring Suzanne Pleshette, Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson and Rossano Brazzi. A typical love triangle type story told with gorgeous Italy as a backdrop. I found myself clock watching so that tells me it was on the long side and some of the scenes should have been tightened up a bit. A fun film if you have the time.

There you go sports fans!!! Have a great weekend and do come again!!!

Take care,
edgar

Christmas Treats and Flicks

GR&DF thank you for your very kind comments on yesterdays post - they are a really good morning hug here in chilly old San Francisco. It has been in the 40's and 50's from dawn to dusk the last few days. We are expecting a big winter storm to push in off the Pacific on Sunday.... this is our wintry wet season and the storms off the northern Pacific can be cold, wet and windy.

Yesterday I went on my weekly visit to the Farmers Market (no good snaps of the market today) and I picked up the usual things, cukes, tomatoes, potatoes, winter fruit... and some nice big walnuts. Being from the South I grew up being able to get lots of pecans, and do miss not being able to get them fresh from the grove, but out here in the west you get beautiful walnuts. The getting of the nuts put me in the mood the start on some Christmas treat making, but of course I needed to shell the suckers first!!

Here is a snap of my high tech operation... I find that one good wack on the point usually yields a good half nut or larger piece of nut than a wack on the side. For my pecans I just get a bag of them already shelled from Trader Joe's - ain't that living high on the hog!! A preshelled nut! I have a few new recipes I am going to try and it looks like a treat making weekend - the Holidays have really begun at our house.

We ran to the Safeway in Diamond Heights yesterday evening - I needed a few things for the treat extravaganza and I hate the grocery store on Friday, Saturday or Sunday - just way too many people crowded into a store for my taste. Going through the produce section they had Cherries - yes - you read that correctly - a delicious Summer fruit - so of course I had to buy a small bag - at $6 a pound it certainly wasn't going to be a big bag!!


They are from Chile and very nice looking, but on the sour side. I think it is crazy that you can get fresh cherries in the winter - and I am such a sucker to buy them out of season. It is one of the main reasons I love going to the farmers market as it is local, fresh and IN season. Oh, well sometimes you just gotta buy the odd and weird!!

I haven't talked about any flickers lately.....so.... last night was a pretty good night for a couple of them. The first up is "The Great American Broadcast" - 1941 - starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Jack Oakie and Cesar Romero. This nice little musical is set at the beginning of Radio just after WWI - and the love triangle or I should say love square was a nice touch but predictable. I just love watching Alice Faye and really enjoyed this flicker. You may know that she got her start in early Radio so she was perfectly cast in the roll of Vicki Adams - early Radio starlet!! The second flick was "Steal a Pencil for Me" - 2007 - This documentary was story of two Holocaust survivors - Jaap Polak and Ina Soep - They met just before the Netherlands was invaded but the Nazis on May 10th 1940 - she a single girl and he a married man - I like what a reviewer had to say..... "Man, Wife, Girlfriend, Holocaust." That sort of sums it up. It is a a film of interviews of Jack (Jaap) and who became his second wife, Ina. The story they have to tell is important and told very well through this film. Two more very good films - check them out.

Still working on the black box for the letter "C" and still not a snap in site - whoops!!

Thanks for stopping by and do come again!!!

Take care,
edgar

Stitchin' Stuff

GR&DF I do thank you so much for the nice comments about yesterdays post!! I had a couple of emails about my Granny's stemware - the pattern is Persian Pheasant and was made by Tiffin Glass - and they date to 1929 or so. My grandparents eloped so I am not sure if they were bought in 1929 or 1930.

I wanted to post a couple more of the exchanges that have made it to their new homes.... First up is an ornament I stitched for the year long Christmas Ornament Swap - my Partner was Rosalie and when I read her likes and dislikes I knew immediately what I wanted stitch up for her - here is a snap -

The chart is from Mary Garry's - Seasonal Mementos - "December." Stitched on a mystery piece of linen using the recommended DMC floss. I love these great little MG charts and will probably try and make them all.

I was asked what I have been photographing the ornaments on lately - it is a bunch of dried curly willow - I didn't have a tree up yet and I think the ornaments photograph better when hanging.

The second piece to make it overseas was an Angel stitch I did for Sari - her partner in the SBBC totally flaked - I read that she likes sheep - and I knew exactly what I wanted to make her for her Birthday - here is a snap...

This piece is from Prairie Schooler book #2 "Country Fair." The piece is stitched on a Solo Piece of Silkweaver linen using the recommended DMC Floss. Here is a snap of the little extras I included....

Even though this came months after her Birthday Sari was so kind and patient about it - Happy Belated Birthday!!!!!

I know I said I wasn't going to get any stash and work from what I have but just like any addiction I just couldn't help myself..... I reeeeally need a fix!!! Here's what showed up yesterday...

I had to have the two Shakespeare Peddler Jenny Bean charts - how great are they!! Then I saw a finished "With My Needle" by Goode Huswife over on Nicole's Blog - she does some beautiful things!! I knew immediately I needed this one!! I just love Reindeer things and the "EN 1815 Sampler" by Heartstring Primitives fit the bill. Then how could I pass on the two newest Stocking charts - "September" and October" by BBD - I have all the other ones and I wouldn't want to break up the set!!

The mail also brought a treat from a dear stitcher - Simone - I dropped a little Holiday treat to her and she reciprocated with...

Some Honey Drop - now, we all know my fondness for the black stuff and this honey type is just great!!! Thank you so much dear Simone!!

Last night I only did a little black box stitching on the letter C on the ABC Sampler - so no snap of that.

There you go sports fans!! Thanks for stopping by do come again!!

Take care,
edgar

The Long Weekend is Over.... and I had a Camera

GR&DF thank you for stopping by once again and welcome back to the last mad weeks that will lead us to Christmas.

As you may remember my sister and her family where driving down from Vancouver, WA for Thanksgiving. They came for this high holy day of family togetherness and it was another stellar get together. I spent Wednesday evening cleaning up the family bits that have come down to me...

Because it wouldn't be a Holiday without the family silver and my Grandmothers wedding stems. I love getting these things out to use and what better excuse than family. This year Rico grabbed the camera and insisted that I be in the dinner snap I always try and take. So here we are.....

Going around the table from l to r is... Dale my dear friend for the last 25+ years, Katie, the niece, Mathew, the nephew, Cissy, the sister, John, the brother-in-law, yours truly... usually hiding behind the camera and the Peach. Pete was put out a bit but I only got room for one hound at a time. This was right at the beginning with the french onion soup, usually I make a Williamsburg Peanut Soup but I wanted to shake things up a bit this year. The wine we found at Bev Mo and is from Modesto - Rico's home town - who knew they made wine there??? The end of the dinner was at usual.....

The Wreckage of a the Feast.

On Friday we all trotted off to Union Square to see the crowds... and there where people a plenty. We started off walking around Yerba Buena Gardens. It is really a lovely spot in the middle of the city to visit. Here are some snaps...


Some lovely tree colour

These leaves looked so much like little spots of Sunshine on an otherwise grey day...

The big waterfall in the middle of the gardens.

From YBG we walked up to Union Square where there is an ice skating rink setup ...

This is the rink and the city Christmas tree that got lit up that evening

- such a great Holiday feeling even with a bazillion people pushing and shoving! This shot is looking a Neiman Marcus - the corner of Stockton and Geary Streets. I also like the way that Macy's decorates their windows that face the square...

They do this every year and every year I really like the way it looks.

I did have a stitchity start - finally making a decision about the linen.... here is a not so super snap of the piece...

It is the CHS Alphabet - stitched on 36ct Purely Primitive by Silkweaver. I still have not got my head around what I will do the word box fill in - I am leaning towards different colours for each box - I did a google search of all the finished ones I could find. This pulled up some odd things but I did find one finish that had each little box filled with a different colour - I thought that looked really great so I may go in that direction.... I also fiddled around with the border a bit before I settled on what is stitched - I am using Forest Glade for the vine and two WDW pinks for the little rose buds - or are they strawberries.... I went the bud route.

I will leave off today - thank you for the kind comments from last week and the Yule Sampler Box I made for Andrea. I have heard that other pieces I sent have landed in their new homes. I will post about that tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by, do come again.

Take care,
edgar