Witches, Pilgrims and Thrifty Finds

 What's going on in the holler today? Well, a little bit of this and that and a whole lot of nothing! LOL. 😀😏

Oh bother, here comes Miss Witch Hazel McPumpkin, sweeping up a storm when she should be working on her cottage. Cackle! Cackle! 

 

Please forgive her green complexion . She had a bad bowl of toadstool soup, but she will be fine and dandy come Halloween time. 

I work on Halloween stitches on Wednesdays for at least 15 minutes. 

Pickings have been slim at the thrift stores lately , but over the last few weeks I have added 2 stinkin' cute Halloween jack- o- lantern mugs for my small collection.

2 thrifty Halloween mugs to add to my collection

Hmmm... what else can I show you? Well,  I am making progress on Susannah's dress in Celebrate the Harvest , a new design I am working on. 

On Thursdays I work on Thanksgiving stitches. 

I found this turkey planter the other day at the thrift store for $1. 27. Gobble ! Gobble! 

And... I am ready to sew down the binding on Little Red Four Patch .

I guess there is a few things going on in the holler today. 

So ... What are you working on today? 

As Always, 

Happy  Stitching and Quilting, y'all

Melisa

Thank you for the sweet visit. 

"Wednesday : it's almost, sorta, kinda, close to,just about , nearly the weekend .  " - unknown.

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy. Love and miss you, Amo. 

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More sidewalk chalk artwork from my grandson

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Happy Happy Thanksgiving! And Winter Checklist Doodle

The big day has arrived! Gobble! Gobble! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving, to all of my sweet friends who celebrate this wonderful holiday and I wish  all of you  a day of peace, joy , laughter and love as we give thanks for all of the blessings in  our lives including the warm memories of those who are no longer with us. 

Mini Turkey Sampler

I feel so very blessed by this wonderful community. I truly cannot thank you enough for the warmth, friendship and encouragement that you bring into my life. 

Today my family will begin the festivities at my Mom's warm country home. By the time, that I arrive I am sure she will have been up since the break of dawn bustling about in the kitchen.  There will be the sweet aroma of fresh baked pies, the dressing will be piping hot in the oven and the turkeys will be a golden brown. 

We will have the sides in tow . The table will be set  buffet style. Of course , Dad always carves the roasted turkeys. It will not take long for the little ones to  run into the kitchen and grab their plates for the meal that we enjoy only twice a year. 

Each year I pull out my Giving Thanks Keepsake Journal  

By mid afternoon, I will take  our usual family photos. We pose in a certain place and in a certain order each year. It is so much fun to see how the kiddos have grown over the years. 

Warm memories of the day's events, menu and traditions are recorded along with photos. 

After eating we will, sit back stuffed as can be and watch Christmas movies as the children play. Then Mr. Pinker, myself and my daughter's family head to the next destination to repeat it all over again. 

I bet many of you have a very similar Thanksgiving. 🤗

For the last few years, I have always worked on a snowman embroidery on Thanksgiving Day. Today will be no exception. I plan to work on "Prim Winter Checklist" , the last of the seasonal checklist embroideries that I have been stitching over the last few years. 

Like the previous checklist embroideries, I am using  2 strands of  DMC 898 floss and using the back stitch.

                  

     

                         My doodles are hand drawn and are never perfect! 

Well Sweeties, I will not keep you any longer. Remember as the old saying goes- "Eat and wear stretchy pants!" Hee! Hee!  And have a very beautiful day! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. " - Melody Beattle

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who brought love, laughter and excitement to all of our holiday gatherings. . Our 5th Thanksgiving without you. How can that be.  I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 

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Please keep the military, law enforcement officers and first responders in your thoughts and prayers during this holiday season. 

God Bless the USA! 

Busy in the Kitchen and Merry Christmas - A Christmas Freebie

 No Bake Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie ✅

Cornbread Salad ✅

Dressing prepped ✅

Next up -prepping the potato salad

Busy, busy, busy! I know many of you are hustling and bustling about the kitchen prepping for family gatherings or for just a quiet holiday meal at home, but I did want to pop in to wish you a lovely day.

If you can spare a minute, I would love to show you my latest  cross stitch finish which is simply called 

Merry Christmas. 

Let's get out of that hot kitchen and take a gander shall we. 

I made it into a long skinny pin pillow . I bordered the stitch with a small scrap of homespun fabric which I left unfinished on one end so you could see the frayed edges.  

The edge of the homespun is frayed.  . 

I think I am happy with it. 🤗

This pillow is stuffed with fabric scraps

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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 Oooh I have potatoes boiling so I better get back to the kitchen and I know you have much to do as well. Hey, if you are in the neighborhood, drop in , grab an apron and spoon! We can tackle this Thanksgiving meal together and  better yet, you can be the taste tester! Hee! Hee! 

OK Back to the Kitchen, I go! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"What if today we were grateful for everything? "- Charlie Brown 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

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

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 

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The Thanksgiving Jar from the Mason Jar Series- A Fall Freebie

My buttery is filled to the brim with canned goodness - stitched ones that is! 😀

Good afternoon, y'all. It is no secret that I love "canning season". Come summer time the canners are at full steam. 

Over the last few years , I have been canning the holidays in the form of stitched holiday creations. 

My newest jar in the Mason Jar series is The Thanksgiving Jar. 

Ole' Tom Turkey is ready for the Thanksgiving holiday along with a home grown pumpkin. 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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NOTE: I did not chart this, but I outlined Tom's eye in 2 strands of white floss so it would stand out.  

If you are interested in any of the other mason jars, just click on the links below to magically be transported back to the post with the charts. 🪄

Autumn Jar Pinkeep , Winter  Jar , Sheep Jar , Bunny Jar  ,  Strawberry Jam Jar   , Patriotic Jar ,Honey Jar  ,   Sunflower Jar,   Halloween Jar, and Squirrel Jar. 

More jars are soon to follow . I do have other holidays that need to be captured in a jar! 

I am so very grateful that you joined me today. 

Happy Canning! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Good things take time. " 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

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

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 

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Dreaming of Turkey and The Maize House - A Fall Freebie

 The countdown is on! 14 more days until Thanksgiving- the most glorious holiday to give thanks for all the blessings in our lives and of course  to indulge and gobble till we wobble ! 

  Oh boy,  I just cannot wait for Mom's homemade cornbread dressing and the turkey breasts that she will roast.  And I must not forget all of the delectable  desserts that will grace the table. Hmmm, 🤔 I better start my diet a little early so I can have an extra helping of dressing. Hee! Hee! 

Gobble Gobble

 Sooo... I have started to prepare a menu for Thanksgiving. Mom used to make EVERYTHING!  But nowadays I give a helping hand along with my sister .  

What am I planning to take? Well here is my preliminary  list of yummies. These are some family faves.  I will provide a colored link for any recipes that I have shared in the past.  

 Cranberry Marshmallow Salad

Over the Top Green Bean Caserole

Candied Yams

Nanny's Cornbread Salad

Slow Cooker Ranch Mushrooms

5 Bean Salad

Potato Salad

Stuffed Celery

Cream Cheese Corn

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie

No Bake Snickers Pie

Image from Pinterest. 

I am still pouring over recipe books for something new to bring.  Do you have any suggestions?  

There will be about 18 of us if everyone attends.  After we eat dinner, Mr. Pinker and "our crew" will truck on down the road  for a late night supper with his side of the  family. We will bring in tow sides for there too. It is going to be one grand day ! 

Did you notice my little house ? It is hot off the presses and finishing table and is called The Maize House. 

It is another grand but simple house flanked by cornstalks. The roof is adorned with a bountiful basket or maize just perfect for cooking for the holidays. 

There are only 6 colors used in this little ole' house. I am consciously trying to use as few colors as possible in some of my houses. Anywhooo... The Maize House is stitched on 14 count Aida that is coffee/ tea dyed. 

I used DMC floss colors :  422, 610, 844, 936, 3011, 3820. 

 SYMBOL       FLOSS COLOR           

      l 422 Light Hazelnut Brown       

X   610 DK Drab Brown

• 844 Ultra DK Beaver Gray

O 936 VY DK Avocado Green

U 3011 DK Khaki Green

Y 3820 DK Straw  

I thought I would give you a break down on where the colors are. 

BASKET of CORN: DMC 610, 3011, 3820

CORN: DMC  3011, 3820

HOUSE: 422, 936 ( roof , window & door frames, quilt border), 610 (door)

QUILT ON HOUSE: 610 936, 3011

GROUND: 844, 3820

LETTERS/ DATE: 844

DOOHICKEYS : 610

I outlined my house in DMC 936 as an afterthought to make the house pop on my coffee fabric. I did not chart this.

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece, you can find the letters for the initials in The Maize Basket Sampler which I shared last week. 

 

 Alright , Sweetness, I better get off here. I have recipe books to sift through and grocery lists to make. Like I said the countdown is on! 

Now tell me are you dreaming of turkey, ham and all of the trimmings? 

Have an awesome day! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Family dinners feed my heart. "- unknown. 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

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

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 

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"Another turkey platter? " asked Mr. Pinker. 

"Yep! It is going in my cart, " I replied with a big grin on my face. "Being just $4, I cannot leave this grand ole' gobbler behind. Besides he can proudly join my flock of turkey platters. " 

Mr. Pinker just smiled and nodded his head. 

" I am one happy gal!" I exclaimed as I fluttered to the checkout counter. 

" Gobble! Gobble !  Hee! Hee! "