Decorating with a Dog

Countdown to Christmas features decorating with a dog.🐶 Belle, our German wirehaired pointer, is nearly 8 months old. Since we can't have a full-sized Christmas tree inside (that would be a disaster), I have placed the artificial trees on the top shelf of the bookcase. 

Ornaments were hung in the kitchen window with curtain rods.

Only three areas were decorated - part of the front yard Candy Cane Lane has a separate blog post, the kitchen windowsill, and atop the bookcase. 

Doggy Destruction totals so far:

4 cashmere sweaters

5 tv remotes (that is replacing them one by one)

3 blankets

1 sleeping bag

1 baseball cap

She has snagged an entire breakfast burrito from the Mr. I had to re-make his breakfast. 

Her mission is to bring into the house any rocks, sticks, or pieces of wood. Acorns are another of her favorites. Pieces of paper, especially paper towels, are routinely torn to bits. 

What I am listening to - 2005 Relaxing Christmas Jazz, when I am not chasing after the dog. 

Countdown to Christmas Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 to the Countdown to Christmas posted annually since 2012. Highlighted during the event are thrift shop rescued CDs. I try to include a YouTube video of the CDs, if any exist. My holiday version of the Simply Delightful Thrifted Ball Gown. The updated Candy Cane Lane of our outdoor decor. My attempts at Christmas craphts from the 1997 publications of How to Do Christmas Florals if you Think You Can't, and Simply Christmas, Craft Projects for the Season of Giving. 

Upcoming posts include Holiday Weird and Wacky, Creative Christmas Clothing, and Creepy Santas day. 

I completed the Poinsettia rug skirt, finally binding the canvas to the back. Because of a certain critter in our house (cough cough Belle the destroyer) we do not have a tree inside.

What I am Listening to - 2011 White Christmas, A Traditional Christmas. 

An adorable mini-quilt was listed for sale on eBay. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187616503037

Baby costume sewing pattern too cute for school! 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187566098426

Ending the post with the recipe for the Mr.'s favorite cookie.  

COCONUT CHERRY MACAROONS

2/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. lemon rind

1 egg

Mix until well blended. Add.

1-3/4 cups cake flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. soda

Blend thoroughly. Add.

1/2 cup cherries

3/4 cup shredded coconut

Drop by small scoop onto parchment paper on cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

Sewing Intentions

In my sewing pattern stash, I have around 100 cut vintage patterns. This 1961 McCall's is one of those. I love everything about the graphic - the hair, the featured fabric, the styling, the gloves, and the pillbox hat. While I won't attempt this dress right now, I will try for a festive plaidwork skirt. 

Free People is featuring a plaidwork skirt that I want to recreate from a pattern and fabrics I have on hand.

Maizie Plaidwork Maxi Skirt

I have the plaids.

The fabric pull from my fabric on hand. 

I have a pattern - not quite the FP style but festive nonetheless. I will try and angle the fabric so it widens at the bottom. 

This will be another stretch of my sewing skills. I think the easiest method will be to pre-sew the pieces of plaid fabric together using another pattern drawn from the original. I will post on my progress. 

I will be altering the little girl's Retro Rocket dress. I ordered more of the material to finish off the back and add pockets to the inside of the dress. girl-dress-retro-rocket-rascals

Delighted that I have kept vintage sewing patterns, and I can pull from my existing stock I have listed on eBay. 

It is a cold, foggy day here in Northern California. A perfect day for a sewing project. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Giving Thanks for the many blessings in our family. 

This Poppy Needle Punch rug partial kit was found at thrift. I am going to convert it to a hooked rug project. Employing a concept from my Drawing and Composition class creating a grid from that image.  

The Mr. and I marvel at our good fortune being retired. There are many Working Old in our area. They should be retired but they can't afford it. Why can't we as a nation ensure that our elderly, veterans, and others who need assistance are cared for? Millions are spent on war. There has to be a better way. 

Enough ranting, segueing to a dish my mom loved to serve for get togethers. 

CRANBERRY RASPBERRY JELLO SALAD

2 pkgs (small) raspberry Jello

1 cup cold water (fruit juices)

2 pkgs frozen raspberries (thawed)

1 can whole cranberry sauce

1 pkg 8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup hot water

1 pkg Knox gelatin

1 can crushed pineapple (13-1/2 oz)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 pint sour cream

Dissolve Jello in hot water. When cool, add cold water. In a large bowl, stir cranberry sauce until it is well broken up and smooth. Add fruits and pecans and mix altogether. Add dissolved Jello and gelatin. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into large Pyrex dish and set in frig to congeal. When completely set, remove from frig and spread layer of cream cheese-sour cream (blended together). Pour rest (remaining half) of fruit mixture over the top. Set in frig until completely congealed. 

Our menu consisted of Christmas tree Spritz cookies (shown below).

I modified a Pinterest recipe of apple cranberry stuffing. We served our guests a choice of turkey or smoked spiral ham. There was the cranberry raspberry Jello salad, onion roasted new potatoes, whole cranberry sauce, and sweet potato. 

Babushka, Big Money, and Belle

Russian lady pincushion came in a thrifted container full of sewing stuff. She's a keeper. I miss my Russian audience. Hoping 2026 will bring an end to the conflict in that region. 

College update: Running another class search for the spring college term, I discovered there are six online art classes offered.😼I thought there was only one. I will have to play the "wait list" game again if it is available. 

And on to a totally different subject - the California Lottery. I like to play when the jackpots are super big. I won around $30 on the Mega Millions big one. I am now playing the Powerball $629 Million game. We can redeem recyclable bottles, aluminum cans, and plastic (CRV - California Redemption Value). I make about $10 every two weeks and spend it on lottery tickets.

I finished with the holiday decorations and will highlight them next month. I think Belle (our 7 mo. old puppy) will leave the lighted houses alone so I am thinking of bringing them out to display. 

Straw was strewn between garden beds for weed abatement. Here is a snippet of Belle "helping." 

Christmas Came Early

Someone's estate let loose at thrift a gaggle of vintage holiday needlekits. First day, I grabbed 6 kits, I returned a couple of days later and bought 8 more. This Dorothy and Friends should be right on trend with the Wizard of Oz related stuff. The kit is undated but I am guessing it is at least 25 years old. Post update - the kit sold within hours of being listed. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/187744922500

Now that the needle kits are listed, a Barbie clothes listing session is up next. 

On the eBay front, it is the first time I have had something listed that was pulled from sale. Supposedly, this Simplicity 8568 sewing pattern policy violation is against the "pillow rule." Pillows that may result in suffocation are banned. I appealed and noted it was a sewing pattern, not a pillow for sale. The "AI appeal" denied the request and I had to pull the pattern. Clearly, a human would recognize the difference.

Striking out on appeals - on the college front, I appealed to gain a priority registration date to sign up for classes rather than open enrollment but was denied. I filed a second appeal with the Los Rios Community College District. The district oversees the 4 individual colleges of SCC, ARC, FLC, and CRC. My hopes for taking an art class in the spring session are waning fast. 

Countdown to Christmas is two weeks away! This cutesie cross stitch Caleb's First Christmas came in the needlekit batch I just bought. Caleb would be 17 years old now. I wonder if he ever received this Christmas stocking? 

I wear what I wore in grade school

Thrifting of the Christmas kind meant I found 5 holiday-related needle kits, an Annalee elf, and a pink bottle brush tree. 

Segueing to clothes talk - I have realized that the outfits I wear now are the outfits I wore in grade school. Girls were required to wear skirts. Because I liked to play on the bars, I wore shorts under my skirts. I now wear a skirt over shorts/leggings. 

I continue with tap dance classes - now a year under my belt. One strenuous exercise class a week is all my body can handle. When not tapping, I fill in with a local wellness strength training class. 

Upcoming events - if all goes as planned, I will be in Anaheim in April. My first FUN trip since retirement. Lurking on the Disney website to buy a 3 day park hopper for 1/2 off for California residents. There is a Final Fantasy convention and there might be some cosplay involved!