One Week to Christmas!

It's just one week to Christmas, which in my mind means it's time to par down the "to do" list and simplify!

A while back we got a few snowflake lights hung, just in time for the big Thanksgiving snow.  We added a wreath and that's it for this year.  It's not much but it makes me smile when I come home.

Last weekend we made a quick trip down to McGuckins, our local hardware store, and with very little fuss found a suitable tree.  We weren't sure how the tree would be received by our puppy and Sheeba, the rescue cat that came to live with us in the spring, so we let it sit in the living room a few days without any decorations.  They both seemed remarkably uninterested in it so we added lights.   But we only put on about half the usual ornaments, and you know what?  It's just fine. 

After all, we have so many great holiday lights and decorations to enjoy in downtown Boulder.

I spent about two weeks doing some holiday sewing and decorated the living room with a newly made wall hanging and a table runner.

The wall hanging was a kit, meaning that I bought a package created by Maywood Studio called "Most Wonderful Time Projects" and it came with all the instructions and fabric for the wall hanging.   I usually don't buy kits or even patterns, but I fell in love with the luscious thick flannel supplied with this one.   I liked it so much that I bought some extra fabric to make two more projects, a table runner for me and one for my wonderful sister, Jean.

Here's the wall hanging.

I did a lot of free motion quilting around the various motifs, which was just plain fun. 

For my runner I did some straight stitching with a cool variegated threat, which I loved on the black flannel. 

I didn't use a pattern for the runners but just put left over fabric pieces together.  The panel on Jean's runner was included in the kit, but I had to figure out how to border it so it would be the right size for her table.   

I had a lot of fun making these pieces and still have scraps leftover.  Yesterday I saw them and thought "It's not too late to make a little runner or mug rug."  But then I remembered it's only a week to Christmas and it is too late!  I'm not going to stress out this year, but just sit back and relax the next few days.  Well, and think about food.  We are making Christmas dinner and then doing a special meal on New Year's day.     

One reason I feel like we've done enough already and are ready for a calm week is that we had 13 new windows installed last week.  Our windows were thirty years old and not in good shape so it was time to replace them.  It was a slow process for the workmen since we had installed our new Hardiboard siding and trim last year and the trim had to be uninstalled, the windows carefully taken out, new windows put in and then the trim reinstalled once the windows were in.  Of course this meant nothing could be in front of the windows while the work was being done, so it wasn't a good time to get the tree or otherwise decorate.  But it's done now and the new windows are great.  Our workmen were nice and competent, but I was glad when we got our house back! 

Here's a before...    

And an after.  The double hung windows are gone, replaced with lovely casements which provide an unbroken expanse of glass and big openings which will be so great in the summers, since we have no a.c.  

Well, I'm almost done but I have to give a brief Turbo report. 

He is 5 1/2 months old now and is acting more grown up.   I'm already nostalgic for my little puppy, but I'm not missing that puppy biting!  

Here he is with his new friend Milo, sitting "like a proper dog," as Paul says.  It looks like Milo taught him, doesn't it?

He loves most other dogs and all people.  If we're walking and someone comes towards us on the sidewalk, Turbo wiggles all over with the anticipation of meeting a new friend.  If the person doesn't want to meet Turbo, he is one disappointed pup!

Here he is on a puppy play date with Delta, who lives up the street.  They mostly box and bite and roll around and have a great time; this was one brief moment of quiet.

Don't tell, but Turbo is getting a new dog bed for Christmas, having just about outgrown his little round one.

I'm all done Christmas shopping and am now ready to just enjoy the holiday lights, food, music, and, of course, seeing people I love.

I also like my annual hunt for a really good Christmas book.  Over the years I think I've read all the classics, but I keep trying to find something new that's good.  My latest try was Wrapped up in Christmas which read like a Hallmark movie, which made sense when I realized it was published by Hallmark.  I liked it for a while but lost interest and skipped ahead to the end.  Guess what? She got her man and he got his woman.  A quilt was involved which is why I read it in the first place, and it was okay, but not really good.  Nice cover, though!

Maybe I'll have better luck with Nancy Thayer's Nantucket Christmas.  If nothing else, it will be fun to read about Christmas in charming Nantucket!

Wishing everyone a relaxing and joyful holiday!

Linking to my friend LeeAnna's "I Like Thursdays" at Not Afraid of Color