I’m not going to be a ‘Debbie Downer’. I just need my family to settle down and go with the flow. I talk to one person for over an hour. I talk to the other person for over an hour. I’m caught in the middle. Things seem better and then the one person pi#@es off the other person and vice versa. It all messed with my 50th birthday and now my Christmas is getting jeopardized. I do have my own issues and I sure would like some emotional support from them, but it’s all about them right now. I understand lives are changing, but please consider my feelings too. I usually go all out for Christmas. I’m hoping when I can purchase a few gifts I’ll feel better. I have Sean to help me this year.
I haven’t cross stitched in weeks. I find doing the paper crafts and making them for swaps is good for me right now. The stitching will come back. I do want to make a Christmas card like I did last year. We’ll see.
I do enjoy going around to different blogs and seeing how you are decorating and stitching. In a few days, I’ll add a cookie recipe too! Things just have to get better.
I’ll share a ‘domestic goddess’ angel I made for a swap shortly. I have to hop on the other computer to do so.

Loom, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

So, this was a difficult challenge to me. I decided to go back a few days to my trip to Winterthur Museum in Delaware and show you the old-fashioned way that fabric was made-in a loom. Can you imagine threading that and cranking it back and forth all day? I know the modern machines, which are probably also looms are run the same way, but I bet the can make yards of fabric in a matter of minutes.
Another thing I have to be thankful to technology for is the internet. A lady who was on the tour with me that day found me on Flickr and left me a message! How neat was that?

Thanksgiving was mostly pleasant. Sean and I arrived at my brother’s house around 2:15 so I could get our turkey cooked. Then I helped out when Colleen needed me, and almost fell asleep!
Brian came down later as he was going to bring dinner over to his dad who refused to come to over even though he would have been driven back and forth to the my brother’s house.
My middle brother, who is moving in with mom is feeling the pressure of packing and trying to get a room painted. Sean offered his assistance to move boxes and he said ‘no’. I think in the next week he’ll need Sean more.
My brother and his family presented Don and me with a birthday cake (Don’s is the 28th and he’s a year younger than me) which was nice.
The cheesecake was popular and I believe there is only a sliver left.
Today I got a much needed smile maker.
Thanks to Carole over at ‘Pea’s Corner’ for this delightful framed snowman print; and some heavenly bath powder and body lotion.

Here is a photo of my brother trying to figure out what his gift from me was:

Take a guess and I’ll tell you tomorrow! (You can click on this and make it bigger)
Here is my sweet niece and me. I gave her the outfit she had last Christmas. Her mom gave her some sweet Shirley Temple curls. I’m wearing the earrings that Brian gave me for my birthday.

Here’s a photo I had my nephew take-not bad for the first time using a fancy camera. This was taken for Jennifer F., but I’m mailing a snail mail form to you!

And finally, I was making ornaments for a swap and I think I’ll make some for gifts as they were challenging and fun to do-plus I have the template now!

By the way, the serviceman never came to fix my oven today. No courtesy call to say where he was. Brian called them three times! They rescheduled for Monday. If one hour goes by without a ‘I’m on my way’ call, I’m calling Maytag up as they send these idiots out. I didn’t go shopping, too tired. Sean did go out and said Wally World was crazy. We aren’t giving each other too many gifts, just can’t afford it. We got an almost $300 plumber’s bill and we are disputing a $50 charge for ‘misc’ as they had to use a big roto-rooter. Come on, isn’t that part of the $160 service fee? They at least came right away on a Sunday.
Have a great weekend!

We will be going to my brother’s house. I did make a pumpkin cheesecake and will bring green beans and a second turkey. My oven’s bottom element went, so I will be going early to cook at my mom’s house. The oven is only 3.5 yrs old. Will have a repairman come on Friday. I hope everyone has a great Turkey Day!

Shots from Winterthur, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

The mosaic maker cut off the Christmas trees-but the shots give you an idea of what’s on the trees. The top one has vials of spring flowers like hyacinths and narcissus on it. The middle is the grand staircase with evergreen garland. The final shot is a tree with dried peonies-never saw this done as they are such a fragile flower. The girl print was from Strawbridge & Clothier, a local Philadelphia department store. So sweet!

While visiting Pea’s Corner (her link on left), I discovered that if you answer these questions and post a few links you have the chance to win $3,800 in prices. I could go for that! What an awesome giveaway!
Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
Peace amongst my immediate family members.
A trip to NYC in the immediate future.
Something to commemorate my 50th-something unusual that I didn’t really get.
A metal door to keep out the cold in the basement that seems to effect the warmth of the master bedroom.
A surprise!
2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
From my late friend and cross stitcher Charlotte. She cross stitched a little rose for the lid of a pill box.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
I think something quilted.
4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
I loved my Betty Crocker kid’s cookbook and made many a meal for my family like meatloaf with mashed potatoes on top.
5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?
My son is grown up, but he has an Amazon wishlist-probably a few CDs.
6. What is your favorite holiday food?
Home baked cookies!! I make several kinds-try some new ones each year.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
I hope to make some gifts. I have some pretty clear vessels I want to do something with.
8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
It’s A Wonderful Life, but A Christmas Carol-the very old one from the 1930s or 40s is timeless too.
9. Favorite holiday song?
Oh Holy Night
10. Favorite holiday pastime?
Cookie baking or decorating.

Christmas tree covered with dried flowers, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Isn’t this just gorgeous! Sean and I went to Winterthur in Delaware today. It was a drizzling, chilly day, but it is mainly a tour of the DuPont Mansion which is now a museum. It sits way back off the road. The land was probably used for the cows that he raised there. He was one of the forefathers of the dairy industry.
This is mainly for Zoey as it sure reminds me of how she decorates her fabulous trees each year. There will be more to show you when I upload the close to 100 photos!

Young catbird, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

This was taken a few years back-never been so close to a baby bird before. He was in a low shrub for hours. When I decided to photograph him, he hopped along the front yard into a forsythia bush where I believe his true nest really was.

Sean snapped this goldfinch hanging onto a window in the family room.

That’s right, 50 yrs ago, yours truly floated into the world in a rather fast labor and delivery-one hour to be exact. Yours truly was the loudest baby in the nursery too. My mom said she heard me over the other babies and got up to comfort me and was ushered back to bed. I was welcomed home by my older brother David, age 5. Three months later, my mom got pregnant again and was also coping with a troubled marriage. My father was to leave us all in 1972 (by that time there were 4 kids, Ken came along in 1967) to go back to his home state of Oregon where he would pass on alone in Feb. ‘08.
Though I’ve had a rough childhood, I think we still had many blessings and I’ve tried to hold on to family traditions with my own son. Mom always outdid herself on birthdays, Halloween and Christmas and we had so much fun. I don’t remember wearing a store bought costume. In fact one year, she cut up her wedding dress for a 1st grader. It felt a bit odd wearing it, but I’m sure I felt pretty special. My birthday was usually shared with my year younger brother Don. We had the best one when we were about 6 and 7 when we had a house full of neighbors and cousins. Christmases were special, down to the overstuffed stockings that would always hang on the stair railing. One year my mom and grandmom(she was my second mom) sold some evergreen trees that my late grandfather had planted to have money for gifts.
Here’s me as a newborn babe-with my mouth open:

I turned out to be a stay at home (mostly, I’ve had a few jobs) wife and mom, though I went to college to be an Early Childhood Education teacher and came very close to doing so. I have been an aide to many children over the years. I think I would love to do art projects with little ones now. Sean always enjoyed doing projects from making paper to painting wooden plaques.
I think I’ve been a good wife, sister, aunt and mom. I’ve been there for people. I look forward to this part of my life when I hope, things will get easier soon. It’s hard to believe only 10 yrs ago I had a son entering his teens and now he’s a young man. He’s been my best gift ever. And he was almost my birthday gift back in 1986.
And lastly, thanks to Brian for being there for me through thick and thin. He’s been a great husband and best friend. I hope when we are 80, we have scooters to toot around Longwood Gardens on.

Floral bees in the conservatory, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Beeutiful and creative!