Finishes and Trades and Goodies and Lots of Pictures

I just spent 2 hours cleaning the kitchen and I need a break   : )   The sad thing is, it doesn't look all that different in there! Cleaner of course, and a bit neater, but really not much different.

Yesterday we spent a few hours in Lexington. Had to pick up some Thanksgiving provisions at Whole Foods & Kroger but also made a run to Target, Barnes & Noble, Marshall's, & John went to Best Buy while I visited Michael's to see their Christmas stuff.  What a waste that was!  First of all, the things they had were all crammed into the aisles in a great big mess!  Secondly, there were a ton of people in there!  The line for the one cashier was very long and I can't figure out why.  Apparently they all saw something worthwhile where I just saw a jumbled mess. Anyway, what fun Marshall's was!  I have never paid much attention to Marshall's but look what I found there!

 

Yes, new teas!  Well, let me rephrase that. The two tins on the right are actually from Barnes & Noble & are not new.  They are some of my favorite Christmas teas   : )   The others are from Marshall's & are imported from Great Britain & Scotland. You have to love UK imports ... they are so much more interesting than what we produce here. See that large box with the snowman picture?  It's written on there that you are purchasing 4 different teas, 24 bags of each for a total of 96 bags.  When I opened the box I just assumed they would be separated in 4 little plastic bags or something but here is what I found instead.

Each tea comes in 4 little decorated boxes, 8 bags per box.  Isn't the artwork beautiful!

I also came home with some woven Christmas tea towels (I've always been a sucker for tea towels).  Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of those.  I did, however, get some new winter mugs!

Aren't they pretty   : )   These were for sale at Kroger with matching dishes, S&P shakers, & some other related items but I just got the mugs.  I'm not much of a brown person but I fell in love with these.  I think it's the snowflakes   : )   They are huge!  The mugs that John & I currently use hold exactly 16 ounces.  I'm guessing these ones might hold 24 ... lots of room to add a great big marshmallow to my hot chocolate   : )

A while back Sara at Salmon Falls Prims & I did a part exchange/part purchase.  I sent her some sign stencils, some money, & I still owe her a pinkeep.  She sent me a sign I asked her to make as well as one of her Partridge in a Pear trees, a stove board, & a wall box.  Here's a photo of the box it all arrived in (Sophie was hoping the box was for her), the goodies wrapped up inside, & then the goodies unwrapped.

I haven't put the tree together yet, haven't decorated the box, haven't decorated the stove board, but I did hang the sign   : )

Last, but not least, I posted a while back about my total lack of skill in finishing things, indicating I had a pile of 52 stitchings that needed to be finished.  Sweet Myra from Gr8dame's Place took pity on me & offered to help me out.  I chose half a dozen small ornaments & sent them to her & look what she did with them!

Aren't they absolutely gorgeous?!?!?  Total perfection, & that's a lot of praise from an OCD person!  The crow ornament is actually a duplicate.  I stitched 2 of them, & yes, those are 9 colonial knots mixed in with the holly leaves (total of 18 knots when you consider both ornaments), & yes, I stitched them myself, & yes, it nearly killed me!  I can't even begin to count how many times I made those knots, cut them out, made them again ... & again ... & again.  See the ornament with the cardinal on it?  The cardinal is supposed to have a wreath of colonial knots around his neck.  Yeah, right ... like that was ever going to happen!!!

I've been working on my own prim finishings which I'll be able to share with you hopefully soon.  I'm still working on gifts as well.  I don't know how it is with you but with me I feel like I'm doing a lot but nothing is getting done!  I'm not stressing, not at all.  I'm just marveling at how quickly the time goes by anymore!  Just look at my Christmas countdown thingie!  35 days left until Christmas!

Tomorrow I'm off to Louisville to see a dental specialist (the likelihood of getting my money back from my regular dentist for this bad bridge is sadly slim), Wednesday will be spent preparing for Thanksgiving & then Thanksgiving will be spent cooking & eating    : )   One thing I am thankful for is that I only have to cook for me & John.  Those of you who cook for 10 or 20 or more people, my hat's off to you!  I get freaked out if I have to have more than 2 pots going on the stove at the same time!  Friday is Black Friday & I'll be staying home, thank you very much.  I'd rather pay full price for something rather than drive to a mall in the middle of the night, try to find a parking spot, stand in line waiting for the doors to open, & then be squashed inside with what seems like a billion other people just to save a few bucks on a cell phone or whatnot.  

I welcome my new followers ... thank you for visiting & deciding to stay   : )   Hugs to my regular followers as well.  I really appreciate you all being here.