Warm Winter Musings and a Peek into the Foyer

 We are just getting into winter and Mr. Pinker and I are already dreaming of warmer weather.  How about you? 

Welcome, sweet friends and Happy Tuesday.  Do come in  and join me on this quiet , chilly day.  

With Thy Needle and Thread's "Snow for Christmas" 

 The other day Mr. Pinker and I were talking about how we just cannot take the cold weather any longer. It chills us to the bone. Brrrr!   Well we do like the snow, but we do not see that too often. 

The small foyer is decorated with Christmas quilts and cookie jars. 

Here of lately the days have been in the 40's and the nights in the mid 20's which might not  be too awfully cold to some of you, but it is for this southern gal.  🥶Anywhoo... usually in December the temperatures hover around 60 with a few days in the 70's. But not  this December so far. 

In the evenings, I snuggle under a quilt that I have in a hoop and....

 ....  dream of Mr. Pinker and I trucking down the road in ole' Big Red aka our truck with the rickety rackety truck camper in tow.  

The vintage shelf is filled with Dollar Tree plates and some of my favorite cookie jars of the season. 

As my needle weaves in and out of the pretty fabrics, my mind wanders to sunny days and basking in a lounge chair in the desert with not a soul in sight except for the gambel quails cooing among the brush and the coyotes howling in the distance.  

 

Alabama Beauty is still in the works. 

 It will not be long before Mr. Pinker and I will being doing just that. Mr. Pinker has already started working on the side by side ( off road vehicle)  which we will take along with us. He is adding a horn for when we are driving down the road, and he is adding a back window to prevent the dust and sand from whirling back upon us as we explore the desert backroads and trails. We debated on whether to add more solar to the camper, but we will make that addition later. 

I added my biscuit tin to the shelf.  The cowboy reminds me of my travels westward. 

 Meanwhile, I am stocking up on canned foods to take along with us and other needful things that will be squirreled away into the cabinets of the old camper. 

A modge podge of items are on the little shelf. 

But wait we still have all of the joys of Christmas to enjoy.😀  

There are family get togethers, playing games, sleepovers, parades, grandsons' basketball games,  and of course, cooking sweets and treats.  And I must not forget that we have lots of birthday parties to attend before the year's end .  Hmmm, I think those fun filled activities  can distract me from the chill of old man winter. 

And after all of that .... well then... if all goes well , Mr. Pinker and I will be  enjoying our sunshine! 

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

Lake Havasu , AZ in Jan. 2025

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa 

"What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.  "- John Steinbeck 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅 

 Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!

🌞Parade of Homes- Early 2025 parade of home freebies.

🌞 Root A Toot Toot Patriotic Parade Early 2024 patriotic freebies. 

🌞A Berry Nice Parade- A Look at Past Berry Freebies 2025- Early 2025 berry Freebies. 

🌞A Buzzy Bee Parade An early 2025 bee freebie parade.

🌞A Sunny Sunflower Parade for 2025 A parade of sunflower freebies up to July 24, 2025

🌞Pumpkin, Leaves and Autumn Please- A Fall Parade 2025 A parade of Fall themed stitches and doodles up to September 8, 2025.

🌞 A Parade of Stamps 2025  A parade of stamp cross stitch design freebies up to August 14, 2025

🌞Time to Dye-  2024 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric. 

🌞Pin Pillow Tutorial - 2023 post on how I finish my pin pillows with chenille trim. 

🌞A Spooky Parade - Halloween freebies up to October  4, 2025. More Halloween pieces followed this date.

🌞Turkey Struttin' Thanksgiving Parade 2025- Thanksgiving freebies up to the date of November 3, 2025. More Thanksgiving freebies followed  this date. 

🌞Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas Parade Of Previous Freebies- 2025- A Parade of Christmas Freebies up to the date of November 15, 2025. More Christmas Freebies followed this date. 

🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅🎅 

Peace on Earth

Happy Trails 2023

Happy Slow Stitching Snowman Sunday!!!    Hee! Hee! I am going to be working on Snowmen projects in January .- Snowman cross stitch☃, snowmen embroidery ⛄and snowmen quilts ☃. Well I just have "snow on the brain" don't I?  

January 2021 snowman display

Are you going to be working on any particular project for the new upcoming month? Or maybe just a variety? Either way I sure hope you enjoy every stitch. 

This evening,  I will be working on Darlene D'Eon Designs' "All is Calm" . ( a photo will be coming soon) . I know many of y'all follow Darlene on  @darlenedeondesigns on Instagram  and Flosstube.  

Darlene is such a sweetie, and she is an amazing quilt and cross stitch designer. Right now she has the nine patch a day SAL going on. Remember I started this, but have stalled because I want to change my fabric colors.  I am going to have a lot of catching up to do ain't I? But I will get there, you  know me-  sometimes I am slow as molasses. 

  Later I will continue quilting on Alabama Beauty which I began in August. 

 I moved the quilt hoop yesterday. 

This has been my "15 minute a day"  project this week . It will be the focus quilt for 2024. 

This is some unusual fabric for the quilt; my needle just loves to visit each lovely scrap. 

My small foyer is filled to the gills with campers.  

The wee tree is decorated in a collection of  little camper ornaments.

 

  And the vintage shelf was crammed full of red trucks and camper  cookie jars. 

Speaking of campers that brings me to some news. Mr. Pinker and I will be going on a camping trip in January . 

We will be traversing the vast desert of the southwest in an old truck camper in hopes of enjoying a bit of warmer weather. 

Being in the desert with no electricity, means we will not have internet as well. So I will not be posting as often hence my flurry of posts this week. 

I will have some prescheduled posts ,and if we come into a town, maybe I can post and visit my blogging buddies as well. 

 I sure will miss ya' .  I will be back to my regular routine in February if all goes as planned. 

   

Now onto the plans for the week. 

Did I Get'r Done... Well   -  Last Week's Goals were.. 

✅🌞1. Pick out new quilt top to put in hoop.

✅🌞2.Work on new saltbox

❌🌞3. Work on my Easter quilt.

✅🌞4. Finish Block 9  in the Mr. Snow SAL for  Thursday's post.

✅🌞5.Pack for camping trip.

 

Image is from Pinterest    

Cheers!  For I completed 80% of my goals. That's pretty good if I do say so? 💃💃💃

Image is from Pinterest    

Hmm.... What Should I do This Week? 

🌞1. Work on new butterfly blocks for a quilt for my sis. 

🌞2.Work on Gingerbread embroidery

🌞3. Work on Travel journal

🌞4. Post Block 10  in the Mr. Snow SAL for  Thursday's post.

🌞5. Work on "All is Calm".

So tell me. Will you be ringing in the new year? Or will you be in bed catching up on your zzzs by the time the clock strikes 12?  I will be up- I am a night owl.🌙🌜🦉 I am sure I will be stitching away on some project. 

Tomorrow Mr. Pinker and I will be going over to my family's for the big New Year's Day meal- Hog jowl, black eyed peas, turnip greens and cornbread. Yum! Yum!

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I will be posting the 3rd and 4th Gingerbread doodles for the Gingerbread quilt on January 12th and 26th if you are interested.  So far I have posted 

A Bowl of Gingerbread ...

 and a Plate of Gingers. 

Alrighty , Sweeties, I will catch you in some later posts. 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, ya'll

Melisa 

"Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right" - Oprah Winfrey 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

Links That May Strike your Fancy

Down Christmas Lane- A Parade of Previous Freebies-   A  list of previous free cross stitch, quilting, and embroidery freebies . 

I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needle workers to meet. 

Frederique at   Quilting Patchwork Applique for Patchwork & Quilts - Saturday

Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

Kate at Life in Pieces for  Stitching Stuff ( Sunday) 

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework for Oh Scrap - Sunday 

Melva at Melva Loves Scraps for Sew & Tell- Sunday

Brenda at Songbird Designs for Monday Musings

Judy at Small Quilts Doll Quilts for Design Wall Monday

Joy at Days Filled with Joy for This and That

Carol at Quilt Schmilt  for To Do List Tuesday 

Happy Trails 2023!