Christmas Tea 2010

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. 

We have been enjoying the Christmas break with the little things that keep you busy this time of year.

I have also had a cold and so have been resting between adventures. But, before we ring in the new year I figured I should get some pictures up of the tea this year.

Snowflakes. 

I thought it was appropriate for a North Dakota Christmas day tea.

I made the snowflakes. They are pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

We used the Old Country Roses china and flatware. I even got to use the medium platter my sweet daughter got for me this year for the gingerbread scones.

We had:

Egg and Chive Tea Sandwiches

Banana Bread

Chocolate Tea Bread

Gingerbread Scones with mock Devonshire Cream

Sugar Cookies

Our Tea was 

Holiday Dreams from The Tea Table. 

This is a blend of China black teas with citrus peels, rose petals, cloves, almond bits, and genuine Bourbon vanilla pieces.

My oldest daughter and her daughter, aka, Little Companion.

Steve who is in college and therefore thought he was exempt from the dress up a bit request. Should we give him a break?

The angels...

The angels from a different angle...

Awwww. 

Hope you had plenty of hugs and kisses this year along with joyful memories.

I'll leave you with a poem:

On Christmas day at half past three

Brew yourself a cup of tea.

Ill think of you, you think of me

Sitting beside the Christmas tree.

Looking forward to 2011!

Wow, it is almost Thursday!

As is with just about everyone this time of year we have been busy too!

You have your normal busy and then little surprises that pop up along the way that make you just one day realize that it is almost Thursday, again! My computer was on the fritz for awhile but I was able to get to it today and restore it's usefulness. We also had the school program and package wrapping...

I have been working on my white doily on and off for the last couple of weeks.  I finally completed it today and will share it with you at the end of the post.

Last week I shared with you that I had finished the dress I had made for Little Companion but we still needed to have the photo shoot. It is nice that my Little Companion lovingly complied and that we now have these pictures. 

We were going for a classy young lady look that was fun and a little vintage. 

I have had so much fun over the years with this.

She has an enormous amount of hair for a 7-year-old (and she is not too keen on hairspray).

Love this picture, gives you a little inkling that she is really full of vim, vigor, and vitality. 

Little Companion is a lovely young lady and a joy to be around.

***

On to the doily...

Now I don't mean to complain but I have to say this was ummm... difficult!

You had your tr, FPdc, FPtr, 5-DTR decrease, beginning 2-DC cluster, 2-DC cluster, beginning 3-DC cluster, 3-DC cluster, beginning split 6-TR cluster, split 6-TR cluster, ending split 6-TR cluster, and your picot. Yes ... difficult. I would have to put it down and really think about coming back to it. In the end I had to take out 3 rows, and re-do. 

But, in the end it was worth it. I have not washed it yet or blocked it in this picture but I did want to share. Now if you think this is an absolutely gorgeous doily that is because the pattern is from the Absolutely Gorgeous Doilies book by Leisure Arts. It is the Perfect Pineapple pattern. I definitely feel that I have climbed another rung on the crochet ladder with this one and am happy that I continued on to completion. 

Happy WIP Wednesday!

I am joining Marie Anne for Work in Progress Wednesday.

 

Please go over and visit her at http://macrochet.blogspot.com/ and see what everyone else has been up to.

WIP Wednesday

I am feeling a little better this week as I have managed to finish up some of my projects.

Finished up the crochet ornaments and got them hung.

Finished up the dress I was working on for Little Companion.

See the little bow in the front? There is a matching bow to go in her hair too.

Hopefully we will have some time to get a picture soon. She is very busy with school, Brownies, and all the holiday happenings!

Finished up the lap blanket.

Almost finished my hot cocoa gifts, just need to put some stickers on the jars. 

The first recipe I used tasted like it was just missing something so I started over. I found a recipe that used pudding as an ingredient and it was wonderful! 

I think if I do these again I will use smaller jars. This amount may last some folks years!

I also made this hat this week. 

Little Companion asked if it was for her and I told her no. 

She asked if she could try it on and I said yes. 

She said, oh, it keeps my ears nice and warm. 

Ya ... she walked away with it after all!

This doily I finished last month but wanted to wait to share it until after Thanksgiving.

Helps to add to the holiday spirit!

Happy WIP Wednesday!

I am joining Marie Anne for Work in Progress Wednesday.

 

Please go over and visit her at http://macrochet.blogspot.com/ and see what everyone else has been up to.

 

Crochet ornaments

Well, I really am moving on with my projects. Tonight I got the ornaments on my little tree.

Through the years I have occasionally had one or two crocheted ornaments on my tree and I wondered what it would look like to have a tree entirely decorated with crochet ornaments.

 The tree topper is a last minute improvisation that did not want to stay straight ... just ignore it.

Angels we have heard on high...

 Snowflakes, no two are the same (some are very close though!).

I heard the bells on Christmas day...

Snowflakes!!!

Ta Da!

Christmas Bells

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 I heard the bells on Christmas day 

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth good-will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;

There is no peace on earth, I said;

For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;

God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men!

***
The poem is set to music in the video below.
Hoping you have a wonderful peaceful weekend!

Casting Crowns: I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

WIP Wednesday

Today I feel as if I have too many projects going. 

I tend to like to start something and finish it before going on.

I have my thread crochet doily I am working on...

A lap blanket...

and a dress for my Little Companion...

She really appreciates the dresses I make for her.

I did get my ornaments all starched and blocked...

with the help of my fancy new homemade blocking board, but have not put them on my little tree yet.

(It is so dry here you do not really have to worry about rust and can use regular pins.)

***

So those are my works in progress and I hope to finish up a couple of them this week then on to a couple more I have in mind before Christmas...

Happy WIP Wednesday!

I am joining Marie Anne for Work in Progress Wednesday.

 

Please go over and visit her at http://macrochet.blogspot.com/ and see what everyone else has been up to.

Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you had a very nice day, we did. We made turkeys...

Two years ago we learned from Ceekay, over at http://thinkinofhome.blogspot.com/, how to make these little cookie turkeys and it has since become a tradition for my Little Companion.

She also was in charge of napkin folding for the table.

She did a very fine job.

It was just Little Companion and me for this Thanksgiving dinner, the roads were not safe today for the group in Minot to travel out.

We are thankful for the family that loves us, the friends who remember us with fondness, and the savior who gave his life for us so we can live eternally with the most high God.

Wishing you peace.

WIP Wednesday - green doily

Well I finished my Afternoon Tea green doily. 

The pattern is in the Leisure Arts Tea Time Doilies book. I used a #6 hook and it turned out to be right about 18 inches which is not too far from the pattern at 17-3/4 inches.

I ended up having to re-do about 6 rows toward the end because of a couple of careless errors. Don't you just hate careless errors?!

In the end it was well worth the re-do.

I have to say this is one of my favorite doilies so far. It will go well with my Old Country Roses.

This week I plan on creating a fancy cardboard blocking board ...

and using it to block these ornaments for a little tree I picked up not long ago. 

I am joining Marie Anne for Work in Progress Wednesday.

 

Please go over and visit her at http://macrochet.blogspot.com/ and see what everyone else has been up to.

Blue Monday - Outside

I am joining Sally today at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ for Blue Monday. Please go over and visit her to see all the other wonderful Blue Monday posts.

Driving to and fro here recently there have been enormous amounts of birds in migration.  At times the flocks nearly fill the visible sky.

This weekend we saw some resting in the Blue water along the way.

And when I say some, I mean a lot!

When they are in flight and the sky is lined as far as the eye can see

you feel as if there is something ominous just over the horizon 

and you are the only thing that does not know the danger ahead. 

You are pushing forward as they are escaping in the other direction, flapping their wings with determination and desperation as if to say...

flee now, flee now! 

Ha! Of course it is winter just over the horizon and no matter how brutal it may be I have to thank my lucky stars...

I am not a bird!