merry christmas to all

Christmas at our house has been postponed. The ballet company that DD dances with scheduled their performances through the 27th this year. If you aren't tired of Nutcracker, she has posted a couple of videos from her performances last year, Dew Drop Fairy and Arabian. She will be home late on Monday so we asked Santa to put our presents aside until after she gets home. :D

Merry Christmas to all and we hope you have a very happy holiday season.

i'm warped, in a good way

Look what I did. I got my loom warped and started weaving. This is supposed to be 8 napkins for my sister for Christmas. Think I can get them finished? I'm thinking probably next Christmas. After I got the warp on and the header woven I figured I should probably get back to things that had to be done for this Christmas. I did sit down and do a couple of inches between projects in the sewing room. I just couldn't help myself.

winter in maine

I finally did it... read all of the unread posts I had backed up in bloglines. Last weekend, at a most inconvenient time so close to Christmas, we lost power for more than 3 long days due to an ice storm. We have wood stoves, so we don't get too cold as long as we keep feeding the fire, but since we have a private well that means no water. No flushing. No shower. We can buy water for drinking and cooking, but it is very inconvenient trying to take care of the rest.
You start to get really creative. On Friday I couldn't work from home without power and DH couldn't work because his office didn't have power so we drove into my office which did have power and both showered there. I sent DH off to do some Christmas shopping while I worked. By Saturday his office was powered up so we went in there. I packed up my small ironing board and sewing machine and got some Christmas presents sewn while he worked a few hours and we both showered there.
By Sunday the adventure had totally worn off. I had managed to make my Christmas fudge on the cookstove, but we lost all the food in both the fridge and freezer. I had finished all my unread books and I had more Christmas stuff to make. We couldn't do the laundry, vacuum or get groceries. We were just debating where we were going to shower when we saw the bucket truck arrive and shine the spotlight on the pole that we have learned holds the key to power at our house. Every time power goes off in this area everyone on the way to our house has power. We are the first house after an intersection and everyone from that intersection North has power and our side of the intersection is dark. It is very demoralizing when you see the house in the field behind your house lit up with Christmas lights and I can't even sew.
We were both so excited, watching them carefully to make sure they didn't get away. Not sure what we would have done, but we were desperate at that point and I think if they had tried to leave we might have at least tried to go after them. After the bucket went up and down once or twice our house sprang to life. I quickly ran upstairs and grabbed a load of laundry while DH started vacuuming. Then showers. You really appreciate the luxury of a shower in your own house after a few days of packing everything up to simply get clean. DH says he is going to call his friend the electrician and we are getting a generator. ;D

sunday stash report

I didn't join in Judy's quiltathon this weekend even though I really would have liked to. DH wanted to go and get some Christmas shopping done. I think the limited time left had finally dawned on him. I really have things quite in hand with some online shopping and a lot of sewing, but it's still fun to have him voluntarily shop with me.

I joined in a Spirit of Christmas swap in addition to Chookyblue's SSCS and that gift has been sent off to Australia. This swap started much later, so I hope the gift makes it on time. I had never read this partner's blog so I had some research to do before deciding what she would like. She is into frugal living and environmental consciousness. I felt she definitely needed a reusable wrapping bag. I'll show a picture of what's inside after she opens it.

I did manage to spend most of today sewing. I can't show my projects, but progress was made. I also have half of the ends for a weaving project warped out. I meant to get the loom dressed today, but decided my sewing projects were more pressing. Even with all my sewing my stash usage was rather dismal. I'm doing mostly small things with scraps. :-( I finished up 4 items and used about a yard of fabric. You know it's really amazing how far a yard actually goes.

Report:

Stash in 0 and I haven't really even been tempted.

Stash out 1 yard.

shopping!!

Each year I head up our company adopting a family through the Salvation Army. This year we were a little late getting started due to some "administrative glitch". We didn't get our family assigned and sent to us. I had to call to find out if we were getting one this year. We were assigned a single mother with a nine year old son, an 8 year old daughter and a 9 month old son. We had only 2 weeks to get everything taken care of and delivered by December 10th. I enlisted the help of another coworker and we went on a shopping spree. It was fun, but exhausting. We went off after work and were able to get most everything from their lists in one trip. The only thing I still have to get is the meal ingredients and gift card.

Look what arrived in my mail box all the way from Australia. My SSCS gift. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to leave it in the mailing envelope so I went ahead and opened it. My Secret Santa packaged it perfectly. I have a pattern and a beautiful calendar for now and a wrapped present that I am going to be a very good girl and not open until Christmas. She even wrapped it in Santa teddy bear paper. She must have done some blog research. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what's in my present.