A Balsam Hill Tree

Last Christmas our old pre-lit tree was down to one last string of lights.  

We just put more lights on.

We could have cut all the zip ties that held the old lights on but, the tree was probably 15-16 years old.  

Decided to buy a new tree.

Watching Hallmark, way too much, saw a commercial for Balsam Hill and the trees were on sale.  

I needed a tallish thin tree.

I think I got is 75% off at the time.  

Since  Katy was home for Thanksgiving, we put the tree up. 

Very happy with it!

He put most of the lights and beads up. 

Can't really see the ornaments well but, they are there.  

Festooned the lanterns on the china cabinet with wire ribbon and little clip on greens.  

Swags of evergreen, pine cones, berries with a little glitz.  

Found battery operated lights to put on the little trees on the mantel.  

Did my Shop Small yesterday.  

Picked up several Christmas presents.  

I do shop small whenever I can.  

Put the Snowmen and Santas out.

He use to go in the guest bathroom but, this year I found a moose.  

I just love his attitude and swagger.  

Started on part three of Little House  Farmhouse Christmas.  

Had a wonderful but, busy Thanksgiving.

It was great to have Katy and her boyfriend home.  

Not sure what the plans will be for Christmas.  

They have plans to see his extended family.

Not sure if they will make it here or not.  

Things get complicated and she is a little upset by it.  

It just is a matter of sharing and compromising.  

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  

Getting ready for Christmas.  

Have a great week!

Keep Stitching 

Monica

Hunting

It's been a week.

Deer season in Michigan, started on November 15th.  

The weekend before, Bob's brother came for a visit, to see their mom in assisted living.  

He left Tuesday morning and then Bob's friend got here that afternoon. 

Tom came to go to deer camp with him.  

The bed barely got cold.  

Let me tell you, hunting season really is pretty obnoxious.  

Men really start getting round up starting in September when bow season starts.  

My husband is no exception, buck fever has been running rampant.

I'm glad the ends is in sight.

Now we are hunting something new:  A MOUSE!

While the guys were gone, I started hearing  strange noises on Friday.  

I give the dogs a little snack around 10:30 and measure out Buster's food for following day.

I place the cup on the window sill in the laundry room.  

The next morning when I was feeding the dogs, half of the food was gone. 

I wondered if I was losing my mind.  

Then I noticed the little poops on the towel on the washer.  

Amazing the cup wasn't knocked over.  

I noticed a few days or a week earlier Buster's dental treats were going fast.  

I left one of the dental treats on the washer. 

When I got home from errands, it was still on the washer.  

Before I went to bed that night, I left a few more pieces of dog food out on the washer and the window sill.  

Sunday morning, all the food was gone.  

We put out the mouse traps last night but, haven't caught it yet.  

We have found evidence in the basement:  the bathroom vanity and the desk in Bob's office.

There wasn't anything on the desk a week ago.  

On the hunt again tonight.  

Hope we are successful!

Really couldn't happen at a worse time....just before Thanksgiving.  

I'm just going to wash stuff before I use it. 

I did finish the second piece of Farmhouse Christmas from Little House Needleworks 

Keep your fingers crossed we get that doggone mouse.  

He is driving poor Henry crazy.  

Buster is not so affected, he's lived through the first two mice.  

Hope you had a good weekend.  

Happy Thanksgiving.  

Keep on Stitching

Monica

Top Secret

Pictures are going to be slim until Christmas.

Top secret projects until then. 

I am working on a few things I can show.

I finally finished this pair of socks for Ed.  I love the self-striping yarn. 

I don’t exactly know why it took me so long to finish theses.

He has worn them already.

I have started the second in the Farmhouse Christmas series.

These I will continue to work on while working on Christmas presents.  

I downloaded this pattern last week from Ravelry.  

I'm just waiting for the needles to come from KnitPicks.  

Its called the Hitchhiker and uses a skein of sock yarn.  

I plan on using this yarn to make it  

The skein is a little less than the pattern but, I think I will have enough.  

Its an odd shaped scarf but, will be super cute with jeans, blues and greys.  

Had a productive weekend.  

It was been snowy for the last few days especially today.  

It was one of those pretty feathery snow.  

It was the perfect day to do a little stitching and watch Hallmark Christmas Movies.  

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  

Keep on Stitching 

Monica

Be Thankful on Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

  A wonderful giveaway at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe  
   Check it out and tell Nancy I sent you😀

Stitching Retreat

Got back last weekend from the Stitching Bee Retreat. 

It has been a busy week.  

I did take last Monday off but, was very busy with all kinds of things.  

It was at Rowley's Bay Resort in Ellison Bay.

The rooms were a little dated but, overall pretty comfortable.  

We were really in our room to sleep.  

The fireplace in the front lobby was really beautiful.

Had to take a picture of the stack

This explains were it came from  

Some of the murals by the restaurant quaint and old.

It kind of reminded us of Holiday Inn

This miniature was in Grandma's Bakery.  

The desserts came from the bakery at dinner:  bars and cookies.  

The bakery was amazing.  

Breakfast and Dinner buffets were included.  

Let me tell you, the Pecan rolls were to die for!

Got a little picture inside the school house.

The little boy is sitting on a stool and has a dunce cap on his head.  

The view of the bay. 

We were on the Lake Michigan side of Door Peninsula.  

It was rainy all weekend.

Saturday more drizzly than rain.  

So we got out and did a little shopping in Sister Bay and had lunch there.  

We stopped at the Tannebaum shop in Sister Bay and the mums on the the way in were spectacular!

Cocktails before dinner

The Room we had for stitching was great.

There was a lot of room to move around.

Natural lighting during the day and in general good lighting.  

I didn't need to use my Ott Light.  

The view from my chair at our table. 

Since it was close to Halloween a prankster placed this cling on the toilet seat in the bathroom.  

It was pretty comical  

If you didn't know what it was, it looked real.  

I was working on the first part of Little House Needleworks Farmhouse Christmas.  

I'm now alternating between that and PS Santa's.  

It really was a wonderful weekend. 

It goes by way too fast.  

It is always good to see everyone.

I often head to the Bee and have Bob drop me off for a little free stitch and send him to Cabelas for an hour or two.  

I see some of the ladies there.

Hope you are having a good weekend 

It has been rainy, blustery and cold all day.  

I did all my errands and church yesterday, I didn't leave the house!

Have great week!

Keep on Stitching

Monica