Hi, stitching friends!
At this time of Thanksgiving, I want to thank you for your friendship, your kindness and your support. When I started this blog two years ago, on November 30, 2017, I hoped I might meet a couple of people who shared my love of cross stitch. I met dozens and dozens of wonderful people, and I am so glad and thankful to call you friends.
Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for you every day of the year.
I would love to share with you a quick stitch I created called "Give Thanks." You can get a PDF of the chart by clicking here. I charted it using all DMC threads, a palette I borrowed from a favorite Prairie Schooler chart, but feel free to use any colors you want.
I stitched mine on 32-count "Fog" linen by Picture This Plus and finished it into a little pillow with "Vanilla" chenille trim by Lady Dot Creates.
What are your Thanksgiving plans? Do you like to cook a big turkey dinner? When we lived on the ranch in Central Idaho, I would host, and since we had a house that was made for entertaining, with two dining areas, a big kitchen with a long bar-top counter and an open living space, we had room to have 25 people! It was so much fun. I would do a turkey and a ham, since my father-in-law didn't like turkey. If I heard more people were coming, I would just make a little more of this or that and we'd be fine. Great memories.
When we moved to Boise, we were farther away from family and my kitchen was much smaller. My husband watched as my mom and I tripped over each other. It seemed that I was always where she needed to be, or she was where I needed to be. One year I even cried at the dinner table because my rolls turned out like hockey pucks. Have you ever had a Thanksgiving like that?
So, a few years ago, my husband said, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, because I love your Thanksgiving dinners, but how about we go out this year?" I agreed. We were going to go to Cracker Barrel, but when we pulled up to the restaurant, the line was out the door, wrapped around the porch. Oh, no! We thought we would be the only ones "cheating" and not cooking! How wrong we were.
We went to a buffet-style place called Chuck-a-Rama instead, and while the wait was still about half an hour to get in the door, the hostesses handed out hot cocoa to all of us in line, and we chatted away while we waited. Once inside, everybody got exactly what they wanted to eat, and it was delicious. We've been going there every year since.
I have to tell you, I do not miss the leftovers in the fridge. You know the plate of cranberry sauce that always manages to tip over and drip all over everything, making a sticky mess? I don't miss that! We usually have a pie or some snacks around to nibble on later in the day.
We pick up a newspaper on the way home, and my mom and I browse the Black Friday ads, debating whether or not it's worth going out and fighting the crowds the next day.
I would love to hear about your Thanksgiving traditions, or your Thanksgiving disasters! Do you enjoy going out Black Friday shopping? Or are you more like me and do a lot of online shopping these days?
This is the top of my little cabinet in the entryway to our house. I made the green pedestal myself with a candlestick and plate I picked up at a thrift store. I glued them together with E6000 glue and painted them with acrylic paint in "celery." I put some fairy lights in the metal house, and you can't see it from this angle, but the house has a green roof that matches the pedestal. I think I may need to stitch another pillow to go on the other side of the bird. What do you think?
A Note of Gratitude
Do you remember this post from early September when I shared "Farm Fresh," a flat-fold I made for my friend Jan, the farmers market goddess? I sent it off to her and never heard whether she had received it or not. I was so worried it was lost in the mail or she didn't like it. I received a card from her the other day. She said she was embarrassed to have taken so long to respond, but I was just glad to hear she had received it.
She wrote, "Your timing was impeccable, for me. The day I received your care package, I was struggling - tired and a bit discouraged. Your kind words, your thoughtful touch, these lifted my spirit. Thank you for making the time to put your care into action. Thank you for such a sweet touch.
"You have helped me to remember that we are offered the opportunity to focus on that which we find hurtful, OR that which brings us joy, that both are available in the moments of our lives. You've helped me remember to touch the joy. Thank you! -Jan"
I believe that a simple act of kindness - even just smiling at a stranger - can make a big difference. When I think something nice about someone, even a stranger, I try to tell them out loud. What's the worst thing that can happen? They think I'm weird? So what? The best thing that can happen is they carry that with them and pull it out when they need it. When we plant seeds of kindness, love grows.
My Stitching Buddy
When I was going through my photos for this post, I saw that my son had taken some pictures of Scout, my stitching buddy. The photo above is the view I usually see from my spot on the loveseat when I'm stitching. That look is "When are you going to give me a cookie?" Or maybe it's "Can I go outside and bark at the squirrels?" It's hard to tell. He has the same expression for both.
This is his favorite spot in our front living room, where he looks out the picture window and barks at strangers and the neighbor's cat.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving, friends! I have fallen far behind on keeping up with many of your blogs, but I will jump right back in ASAP. I'm working on some Christmas surprises for you!
Until next time, be well, be safe, and stitch!
