Squeezing out a finish

Despite the illness (yes, mom did get me sick) and the holiday madness, I managed to squeeze out a finish and cross an item off my massive list of WIPs.  Well, I actually had to add it on first, since I seem to have omitted the "current" projects bag from that list.

Shakespeare's Peddler Jenny Bean's Christmas Sampler
stitched on PTP 40 count Legacy linen
with charted flosses (overdyed cotton)

I was pretty much committed to getting this finished this year once I stitched that date in.  Usually I do the date as the very last thing, as a just in case precaution, but for some reason I did it about halfway this time.  As you can see, I re-charted and took poor Jenny's name out, and put my own in with the current date.

Since Jenny's Christmas sampler is finished, I'm going to throw it into the Giveaway too.  Still plenty of time to sign up, assuming anyone is still reading blogs between gorging themselves on holiday sweets, battling crowds everywhere, and anything else holiday related.

I have another finish-finish to show off, and credit for this one really goes to Mom.  I stitched this piece back in 2008, and never did anything with it.  No clue why, because I really love all the specialty stitches in it.  Mom made it up into a small wall-hanging and its going to Grandma as a Christmas present this year.  Grandma is a total pink kind of lady, so that's why we went over-the-top pink with the finishing.

Ewe & Eye & Friends Rose House, stitched on
36 ct linen with HDF silk

I hope everyone is having fun and staying sane with the holiday season.  Our friends we spend Christmas with every year just arrived today.  Mary Lou and Jim had quite the ordeal getting here.  Yesterday they started the drive from their winter home in Arizona; Jim lost his wallet at Costco when they stopped for gas, but didn't notice it until they were halfway here.  They turned around to go back home to cancel credit cards and such, but on the off chance someone turned it it, they stopped back at Costco.  Luckily, a very kind and  honest Costco employee found the wallet, and turned it in.  Jim recovered everything, and didn't have to go through the hassle of cancelling credit cards and figuring out how to replace a Virginia drivers license from 3000 miles away 2 days before Christmas.

The population of the house is now 4 retired adults, 1 adult unemployed daughter, 2 golden retrievers and Princess Annie.  Absolute madness, but I love it.  Jim and ML are family to me and Christmas wouldn't be Christmas if they weren't here.  I've known them for 25 years, when all of us were living in England.  The golden retrievers have changed through the years, but there's always been at least one.