Merry Christmas...

Hoping your Christmas was filled with favorite things and happy times.  

I think you can tell from the photo what the favorite Christmas movie is around our house; in case you aren't familiar with it, it's A Christmas Story from 1983.

My favorite Christmas candy...

 These are my absolute favorite holiday sweet...at least of the store-bought variety.  I happened on them several years ago.

Man do I love these things! I actually wish I could get just the peppermint without the Tootsie Roll center.

The peppermint is mild with maybe a hint of vanilla?  

I keep a cup full of them on my desk at work.  I won't tell you how many times I've refilled it.  :)

They are only sold during the holidays, so I should see if I can find a few more bags before they're gone.

Making it Monday...

Today is my last day of vacation in 2020.  I was going to go with Carey to see his mother.  However, Jared is not feeling well, and is awaiting Covid test results.  Carey hasn't seen him in a couple of weeks, so he went on to keep the visit appointment.  I have seen Jared, and though it was at a distance, I still thought I should be responsible and stay home.

 I was up until 8:00 a.m. this morning finishing her Christmas gift.  She had mentioned that she wasn't liking to write letters anymore.  I talked to her about it some, and I think she doesn't like having to gather all the items needed to write a letter.  So I made her a letter box to keep everything together...just grab and go.

I used one of the boxes I like to store my quilt projects in.  They are plastic and about 12" x 12" square and 3 1/2" deep, with a handle, latches, and a hinged lid.  I'm not sure, but I'm hoping that it will sit comfortably on her lap, so she can write in her easy chair.  

I made a grid divider to fit inside to hold items needed for correspondence that I had tucked inside: a return-address stamp, address book, postage stamps, pens, and divisions for cards.  And wouldn't you know that I forgot to take a photo when I was done!  Oh, well.  

I did snap photos of the cards that I included, but that doesn't seem as impressive as the whole package.

These are really simple cards that just layer pretty papers.  I was in a rush, so kept things very basic.  There were duplicates of a couple of these, so I think there were 16 cards added to the box.  I'll make her some more as time goes on.

I had two of this one already completed so tucked them in as well.

I grabbed a few hours of sleep, and have had a quiet day working on some gifts for the rest of the family.  More on that later.

Thankful, grateful, blessed...

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that everyone is having a lovely day filled with things they are thankful for.  Though Carey is working this holiday, and I am spending the day alone (so far), I am thankful and enjoying myself.  

I have spent the day at the sewing machine working on a donation quilt...and it is done and ready to deliver.  It's not like any I've done before.  When I was looking around for batting and backing in my sewing room, I stumbled on a large cut of blue fleece.  I thought about using it instead of batting...but then I thought, why not use it as backing without batting?  So I just sewed the pieced top to the fleece (right sides together), turned it right side out, and started quilting.  Since it is a lap quilt for a memory-care facility, I think the light weight will be good, and the fleece will not only be soft and cuddly, but will hopefully keep it from sliding off of the lap of its owner too easily.  

Hot off the sewing machine!  Looks rather summery in those colors against the arrangement of autumn leaves behind it, huh?

Wait, what's that down at the other end of the sofa?

Ahhh...that blends a little better.  This is the throw I made for the sofa a few years ago.

Actually, though, it's time to put even this quilt back on the shelf and get out the Christmas decor.  Tomorrow.  

Now I am off to put a turkey breast in the oven, and make some Stove Top dressing and a couple of easy sides.  Kasey, Beau, and the girls are on their inaugural trip in their new travel trailer, and I hope they are having a fun time; the boys all had plans of their own.  So Jared will come, and we will share our minimalist feast.  :)  

Blessings to all!

On vacation...

I love stay-at-home vacation days.  Today I'm doing some sewing; making a few more masks.  

I've watched a ton of Utube videos and used a few different patterns since the pandemic started.  This one is my favorite, though I had to adapt it to suit me better.  In the original pattern the bottom was just unfitted and left a big gap at the bottom.  On my first half dozen or so I added a strip of elastic to the inside bottom edge so that it tucked comfortably under my chin and was more protective without the big gap. 

I always use two different fabrics for the interior and exterior so that if the mask is removed and then put back on, I can easily tell which side should be worn toward the face.  So it's just a short jump to making them fully reversible.  However, the side that the elastic was on looked a bit too messy to be worn on the outside to me.

Now, instead of the elastic, I add a small dart on each side of the front center seam before sewing the interior and exterior layers together.  It now fits comfortably under my chin and looks equally neat on both fabric sides.  Completely reversible!  Don't worry, I always launder after each wearing.  One should never wear the outside of a worn mask against their face...that's the side that has encountered other people's germs!  (Just turning inside out and wearing doesn't work for masks like it does for underwear.  I'm kidding!  I'm kidding!!! )

These changes have enabled me to really expand my mask wardrobe with a lot less sewing.  (Does this photo look like it's from a Christmas episode of The Handmaid's Tale to anyone else, or is it just me.  LOL)

I know, I know...the plaid pattern is not perfectly matched.  My mother has been harping on me from her grave about it all afternoon.  :)

I've started using longer pieces of elastic for ear pieces and adding silicone cord locks so the length can be adjusted for comfort.  Now I don't have to worry about an exact fit, because I was always getting them just a little too loose or a little too tight (okay, truthfully one of my first  masks makes my ears stick out like Howdy Doody...LOL).

I also like the aluminum nose-bridge strips with adhesive on one side that I purchased from Amazon recently.  Added to the top edge they really cut down on glasses fogging up.

Now I need to get back to the sewing machine.  I'm hoping to have at least seven new masks done before I return to work.  Also in the works is a lap quilt to donate, and I want a pretty mug rug for my work desk.  Hopefully I will be able to show those before vacation is over.

ps:  Yes, I do know that a vaccine is looking very, very promising, but I figure it will be months at the very least before the general public is able to get it.  And I like for my masks to match my work outfits.  :) 

Trick or treats...treats, please...

 

This makes me LOL!  I call him Tri-RUDY-tops.  He held so still that we were done with our photo shoot in about half a minute.  I think this might fall under my friend the retired colonel's old 7-P rule...prior proper planning prevents piss-poor performance.  :)

I chose a small space to take the photo where Rudy could be easily, yet comfortably, contained undistracted; the entry area of my home office worked perfectly.  I hung a piece of black fabric on the back of the door for a backdrop.  I pulled up my rolling office chair set to its lowest setting for the 'photographer' to sit on (because 'she'...cough cough...has trouble getting up off the floor...poor old crone).  I put on Rudy's 'costume.'  And presto, change-o!  We were done.  Oh, and that sharp-eyed expression is him staring at my front pocket which he knows is full of treats!  What a good boy!

Kasey had given me his 'costume' last year for my birthday, but I didn't get around to taking a photo, so this year I made it a priority (Hey, another 'P' word!  LOL)

Wishing All Hallows Eve brings only treats to you all, dear readers.

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 I was on vacation last week, and I got a lot of reading done.

Monticello by Sally Cabot Gunning

I love Sally Cabot Gunning's work, and this one was really quite good about President Thomas Jefferson and his family, told from the viewpoint of his daughter Martha.

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald

I loved this one, and rate it about 9.75 points out of 10.  Virtually the entire story takes place inside the Grand Central Terminal in New York City right before and during World War II.  Highly recommend.