Karen's Muse and Musings

So much to do, and so little time!

I've been feeling very stressed this holiday season. I should start earlier with my preparation. I say this every year, but I don't do it. Therefore, I get stressed. My jaw hurts from clenching it so tight, and my shoulders are permanently hunched, I think. I've finally decided to try and let it go. If I don't do everything that I think I need to do before Christmas, so what? The world will keep spinning, and life will go on.

But ... if you have been wondering where I've been and what I've been up to, here are some photos to answer your questions.

Here's my tree decorated with the cones I made. Thanks again to Nancy Maxwell James of the PaperWhimsy design team for the inspiration.

This handsome gentleman is my great grandfather.

And this beautiful lady is my great grandmother.

These are the Christmas dresses I made for granddaughters Leighton and Kathleen, finally mailed off to Arkansas yesterday. I mailed them priority, and I am praying they will get there by Tuesday at the latest.

And here's 2-year-old Bobby peeking in while we're taking the photos of the dresses. He keeps me hopping on the 4 days a week he is here, but he is a joy to have around.

I have also complete some knitting projects, but since they are gifts, I can't show them now.

With all of the hubbub and stress around here, I just keep reminding myself that Jesus is the reason for the season. And deep breathing, lots of deep breathing!

Christmas Welcome Banner Complete!

You may remember that I was working on a banner for Christmas in which each participant had a letter of the word welcome. I had the O. I received the complete set of banners in the mail yesterday. It was so much fun to open them and see what everyone had done. Below are some close-ups.

It's very festive — can't wait to hang it up!

Winter White Kind of Mood

I'm working on two projects right now, and I realized they are both white. I'm knitting a hat to keep my head warm on my walks, and I'm making more of those Christmas cones. I decided to decorate my tree with the cones, so I need to make quite a few. (See my last post with an explanation about the cones here.) I liked the ones I did in the Christmas fabric, but I loved Nancy's that were made with batting, so I decided to use the batting. My husband suggested we put old family photos inside. I'll post another photo when I finish.