Honestly, I have no idea how time runs away or actually, flies away so fast! It has been well over a month since the last post and much has happened. While the expected and traditional events have taken place such as Thanksgiving, much more has been happening. Depending on how long this gets, you may see more than one post.
Cross stitching has taken a back seat to Christmas knitting and crafting. Despite trying to get a little bit in each day, working on DS’s stocking was not going to see completion this year. As soon as Christmas is over and the last bits of birthdays and holidays are behind, a new plan must be put in place so that the stocking is completed by Christmas next year. I enjoy stitching it, but had to reprioritize my tasks.
On November 3, a pair of scrap toe-up footsies were completed and set aside. These were made from miscellaneous sock yarns collected over time. 
Just a simple smash up of yarns. I will probably wear these in the spring and fall as they are shorter than I like to wear during the winter.
My biggest project for November when I was actually able to knit was secret gift knitting. I hope to show it after it has been gifted.
The reason for taking so long to get it done was not so much the size or amount, but rather the fact that I was completing the requirements for registering for college online. I have completed all of the requirements to be able to start Orientation on the 15th of this month and classes on the 1st of January. After financial aid, tuition costs were less than $200 which I am hoping to also get reimbursed for after a scholarship interview on the 26th of this month. This will be helpful as DH has over $1K dental work that needs to be done and we have work on one of the vehicles to see about. This next year is going to be busy and expensive with school, changes in work for DD, potential changes in work for DH if he gets one of the jobs he has applied for to make use of his Masters which he hopes to have complete in January or February of 2019, a trip to see my mom who is struggling with increasing dementia, and a trip back east for an international youth camporee in August 2019. Yes, it will be busy!
November 13 saw the remaking of some rose hip jelly. Unfortunately, it would not jell, so pectin was purchased and after recooking, canning and water bathing, there was jelly. It is so pretty and ever so yummy!
On the 27th of November I cast on a pair of fingerless mitts for my husband’s niece followed by a matching cowl on the 29th. The cowl is down to the top ribbing and does not follow a specific pattern. I liked the stitch for the fingerless mitts so figured out how many stitches to cast on and made my own pattern. Hopefully, the top ribbing will be done today and I will be able to cast on fingerless mitts for her mom. I really need to get this all done as Christmas will be here before we know it.
Speaking of Christmas, most of the presents have been ordered in and just need to be wrapped. We went with more practical gifts for DD and DS this year as they needed some things and have been purchasing their own “fun” items. I hope they will not be disappointed when they see what they have. I am thinking to slip a “fun” thing or two in their stockings. DH ordered a new flat screen TV for our Christmas. When it came in, there was a nice crack behind the main screen that we found when we went to mount it. Needless to say, it was shipped back and we are waiting for its replacement. DH also ordered a new and faster laptop on Black Friday as he needed to upgrade. He had it for about a week when it decided not to charge any more, even when plugged in. After a phone call to a Lenovo tech, he was advised to send it back for either repair or replacement. He sent it back for a refund and ordered an identical one for $20 less. So far it is working fine. We are keeping an eye on it.
I placed two orders for yarn over Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The first one was an order from Knit Picks for a variety of yarns, a pair of interchangeable needle tips and two cables at an extra 20% discount. That order came quickly and I cannot wait to cast on those projects. I am hoping to cast them on before I start back to school so that I can grab some of the mindless ones to knit on while listening to lectures. It helps me concentrate.
The second order was from Madeline Tosh (MAD Tosh) at a 25% discount. I have wanted to try their yarn for a long time and felt that this put it within reach. Four different skeins were ordered and paid for from their website on November 26. A confirmation for my order was received in my inbox. This was followed by a note from them stating that orders would be a bit delayed because they had so many orders over the shopping weekend. As of this morning, the site still shows my order as “unfulfilled”. I looked to see what the normal time was for shipping out an order and it is 7-10 business days on a busy weekend. I am going to give them until Friday and then I will send an email asking when I might receive my order. If they cannot fill it soon, I will most likely cancel it and ask for a refund. Then I will have to go look for replacement yarn for those projects. I would prefer to try this yarn out, though as I have heard so many good things about it.
To back track just a bit, this year I did not have to work on Thanksgiving Day so we hosted the dinner. Once again a turkey was roasted and all of the trimmings were added. Family came over and we ate until our stomachs were full. DH did not have to work this year on the holiday either so it was nice to have him home. Unfortunately, he did have to work on Black Friday, but he was still able to take care of his laptop order on that day. I am scheduled to work on Christmas this year and will give my four hours. It is not that long and since the kids are adults now, I do not feel so rushed to make sure I am home early in the morning to open gifts. They prefer to sleep in and we will open gifts with DH’s family on Christmas Eve. My fingers just have to get busy finishing up the last few gifts.
On December 3, DFIL celebrated his 80th birthday with family and close friends at a nearby restaurant. He is still doing well and keeping quite busy between volunteering maintenance and landscaping at church, the elementary school where his youngest granddaughter attends school, and the local private church high school. We hope he has many more fulfilling years ahead.
DFIL, DS, and DH: You can definitely tell they are related!
Quite a handsome group of guys! Especially the one on the right! 🙂
If I don’t post again until the new year, we wish each of you a wonderful stitchy Christmas with family and friends close by! May your new year be filled with all that you need and may God be the Center of your life! 
