New Year, New Start, and Finishes!

Happy New Year! WOW, 2019, eh? Hmmm. I don't know if I'm ready, but it doesn't matter. It's here for the long haul.

My mother in law wound up having surgery New Year's Eve, and it went well. Hopefully, no more issues for them this year, and good health all around.

I have a finish! I finished The Giving Sisters, by Notforgotten Farm.

This was a very fun, but intense, stitch for me. I had suffered through many starts over two years so this was a big accomplishment. I thought they came out fantastic and while I may have misplaced a few stitches in the cauldron bubbles, I didn't stress over it. And I did all those single stitches as pin stitches, so no carryovers. Yay!

I have a new start too. I downloaded Goodflora Stitchwort's "Oh, the Miles!" It is the cutest thing! I'm going to change the doggy to reflect my own sweet Jenny (a little Jack Russell). This fabric is not pink, by the way. The lighting is WAY off here. It's a pale brownish.

I also got a serious case of crochet bug the past week. I saw a hat on Ravelry I just had to make. Now, it IS a baby hat, and NO, there is no baby to give it to, but I HAD to make this thing.  Just look!

Oh my goodness. This is one of the cutest things I've ever made in my life. I cannot take the sweetness! It is a quick stitch and I learned some new skills making it. The designer was so helpful and I mean seriously, just look at that!!!! I have it on my desk and can't stop looking at it and squeezing it, lol.

You may remember me raving over the Country Au Point De Croix book by Helen Wind. Well, for Christmas, my mom ordered me the other book, ABC Country by the same designer. The multitude of cute, primitive designs in these books is overwhelming! So many I want to stitch! Thanks Mom!

Our neighborhood was so gorgeous and festive in December. Christmas Eve I was not having a good day (I ate dinner at McDonald's for goodness sake), but I took myself for a drive around the village and seeing everyone's lights really lifted my spirits. I feel so lucky to be here.

Christmas Day wasn't complete without my in-laws here, but we had a dinner and a house full of guests and it was good. I can't say I'm sorry it's over thought, you know what I mean? I'm just so over all the commercial aspects and pressure buying that goes on.  I'd rather bake, take walks, learn something new, visit friends. All the money and buying---make it stop, please.

I'm going to leave with one more photo and link. I made a chicken and dumplings meal last night, and would love to share. It was so wonderful and easy.  Find the recipe HERE:

 It would be great on a snowy cold evening like we had last night. My husband made the actual dumplings while I was stirring and adding things to the pot and he did a great job!

Enjoy your week, and do some wintery things--go for a walk in the cold, light a favorite candle, take a hot bath, enjoy some tea, read on the sofa with cuddly blankets, or make a new comfort food recipe!