A Christmas Story...Part 3

“Oh, Nooooooooo!!!!” she thought.  “I still have six stockings to assemble as well as bake a cake, cook the turkey, bake some beans, and prepare the fruit!”  Thank God this was going to be a covered dish get-together.  She looked at the clock.  12:20 am.  Wash, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash.  Press, press, press, press, press, press.  Hang, hang, hang, hang, hang, hang.  As she hung the last piece to dry overnight, she thought,  “At least I have them ready to sew.”

 As she tumbled into bed, she glanced at the clock—2:42 am.  The Lady was so very tired.  How was she ever going to get everything done in time?  If she only had one extra day!

 Her foot was really hurting but she was afraid to take any pain medication.  It would make her too groggy in the morning and she would be tempted to sleep in.  And she certainly couldn’t afford to do that.

 The next morning the Stitcher got up early and began baking.  As she began her preparations for her cake she wished she had been able to ask her Mom to bake one for her.  Her Mom had always made the best cakes in the world!  Her fresh coconut cake would literally melt in your mouth.  “Oh, well,” she thought.  “Frozen coconut will have to do.  I certainly don’t have time to grate fresh!”  She got the layers in the oven and prepared her icing.  While it was baking and cooling she prepped the turkey and put it in the fridge ready to pop in the oven later.  As soon as the cake was out of the oven  she put the beans on to bake.  The fruit was now ready.  The Lady readied the dining room and put up the extra folding table.  The dark green tablecloth camouflaged the folding table really well.  She placed a candle in the center and surrounded it with fresh greenery to match the dining table.  As she set out the Christmas china, she thought once again how much she loved this time of year.

 With the baking done and the dishes cleaned she was ready to begin the tremendous task at hand.  She hated that she was so rushed but knew she had only herself to blame.  This had been her idea after all!  Whether or not her efforts would be appreciated remained to be seen.  But she really hoped so.

 Now out came the sewing machine and ironing board and the mad rush began.  Pin, cut, baste, sew, rip-it, rip-it, rip-it, baste, sew, rip, *curse* (even the nice lady had cause by this time), sew, clip, turn, press.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Stopping only to feed DH and go to the bathroom, she worked throughout the day.  Finally, the last one was pressed and ready to give.  She glanced over at the clock.  Only 2:15 am Sunday morning!!  The Stitcher would be able to get about five hours of sleep.  Wonderful.  Then she looked around the kitchen.  Fabric bits and thread snips were everywhere!  It looked like a tornado had gone through!  Drat!  As she began to clean up her mess she remembered why she didn’t like to sew—too much trouble to clean up!!

 Thank goodness she had decided not to wrap the stockings as gifts.  Instead, she hung them beside the fireplace as though they were part of the decorations.  She stood back and through eyes bleary from lack of sleep saw her beautiful handiwork and sighed.  “They are really beautiful, aren’t they?”  She stood and gazed at them for a few moments.  A wisp of a smile crossed her lips.

 As she slipped into bed she was puzzled.  Wasn’t she forgetting something?  “I know that there is something else I was supposed to do.  But what was it?  I just can’t remember.  Oh, well, I’ll think of it in the morning.”  As she drifted off to sleep it came to her but it just didn’t register.

When the alarm went off three hours later the Stitcher begged for just ten minutes more then arose with difficulty.  She showered and put on a robe then walked towards the kitchen to fix breakfast.    As she passed the fireplace she noticed the small packages tucked inside the new stockings and a quick smile passed her lips.  She couldn’t wait to see the faces of her family when she presented them.  She wandered on toward the kitchen wondering what to prepare for breakfast that would be quick and decided on cereal.  Bo wouldn’t mind since they would be having such a large lunch.  When she opened the refrigerator a scream sounded all the way to the other end of the house.  Bo came running and found the Stitcher crying and babbling at the same time.  Surely nothing short of a natural disaster would warrant such an intense reaction.  “What’s wrong?” he asked.  She pointed to the fridge but her words were unintelligible.  Finally she managed to get out “I forgot it.  I can’t believe I forgot it”.  “Forgot what?” he asked patiently.  “I forgot to put the turkey in the oven last night.”  Now considering the fact that the Lady only knew the *over night in the oven* way to roast a turkey, and that guests would be arriving in about three hours, this did indeed seem to her to be a disaster.  But, of course, Bo did not understand the problem.  “Well, put it in now.  It’ll be done before dinner.”  The Lady began to cry all over again and Bo was truly perplexed.  What had he done now?

 The only thing she could do was to pull out her cookbook and hope they had  GOOD directions for roasting a very large bird!  Following the instructions, the turkey was placed in the oven and a small whispered prayer could be heard coming from the kitchen.  She brewed the tea, finished off the last minute food preparations, checked the dining room tables, and went to get dressed.

 She looked around at the beautiful tree and colorful decorations but could not feel anything but disappointment.  She had wanted this day to be perfect.  Oh, well, you can’t win them all.  As Bo’s family began to arrive, she prayed that no one would notice that the turkey was still in the oven—or at least if they did notice, they would think it was intentional.  But, of course, DH had other ideas.  The first thing out of his mouth was her blunder.  As everyone turned to look at her, she prayed for the floor to open up swallow her.  But alas, it didn’t.  At least he had not said why she had forgotten.  Thank God for small miracles!

 When the turkey came out of the oven it looked perfect and lunch was served only 45 minutes later than planned.  So it wasn’t such a disaster after all, although she did receive several barbs throughout the day.  When the time approached to exchange gifts, all the packages under the tree were distributed to the recipients.  No one mentioned anything about not getting a gift from Daddy Bo and Nana.  They really were a polite bunch.  Suddenly, as if an afterthought, the Stitcher said, “Oh, dear, we seem to have forgotten something besides the turkey.  Where on earth did I put your gifts?”  She looked around the room as if searching for them and exclaimed.  “Oh, yes, I put them in your stockings.  Why don’t you look and see what you got?”  Pam got up and handed the stockings to each person and they began to open the small packages.  Each small token gift was gracefully acknowledged and the questioning looks were quickly masked as each person said thank you.

 A short while later, everyone was packing up to leave and Pam went to re-hang the stockings by the fireplace.  With the straightest face she could manage, the Stitcher asked,  “Aren’t you going to take them home with you?”  Pam looked around and it dawned on her that the stockings WERE the gifts for them.  When everyone else heard this exchange the looks of amazement began to cross every face.  They could not believe that the Stitcher had actually stitched these stockings for them.

 When the guest had finally gone and the mess was cleared and the Stitcher and her DH were sitting quietly by the fire, a warm glow engulfed the two of them and it was not from the fire.  It was satisfaction and love and a sense of fulfillment that one feels rarely.  Bo whispered softly,  “I think they were surprised.”  An understatement if ever there was one, she thought.  “Yes,” she responded not wanting to disturb the mood.  As they headed for bed a faint thought flickered across her mind.  “Do you think………”

To be continued...

A Christmas Story ...Part 2

Christmas was a great success and everyone was happy to spend family time together.  But, alas, it had to end.  As summer approached she and DH decided to go away for a short vacation.  She had been very depressed since the accident that had left her disabled.  She missed her nursing and missed seeing all her friends each day.  They decided a trip to Myrtle Beach was just what she needed.  Although long walks on the beach were out of the question, she was able to relax and enjoy the pool and the Jacuzzi.  The sea breeze was refreshing and she felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.  DH seemed to enjoy himself as much as she did.  Since his retirement he had been feeling a little lost.  But they both returned home feeling renewed and ready to take on the world.  But something else awaited them….

When they got back home they discovered that Brad and Kathy were expecting their first child [Bo’s first great-grandchild].  They were thrilled and the Stitcher began to plan.  The baby was due on March 2^nd.  She knew the perfect birth sampler to do.  However the color scheme was in pastel “baby” colors and the nursery was being decorated in bold primary colors.  So first the Stitcher would need to convert the colors.  When this was done she started to stitch and soon it was done except for the personalization.  She put it away for safekeeping and moved on to her next project.

Before she knew what was happening it was time to decorate for the holidays once again.  She pulled out the beautiful tree skirt and ornaments and placed them around the tree,  The Santa Sampler was hung above the mantle.  And as she hung the stockings she thought of the future grand baby and decided it would be wonderful to make him or her a quality Christmas stocking—one that would be hung each year with pride.  So she started to plan.  However, she would have to wait for the ultrasound to begin.

 The holidays were filled with joy and a touch of sadness.  It became obvious as the days went by that Mom would not be able to have “Christmas” at her house anymore.  Early on Christmas Eve morning Mom called and asked the Stitcher how to make potato salad.  Now you must understand that cooking was something that Mom was an expert in doing.  But now she couldn’t remember the ingredients.  This alone didn’t raise any alarms but as the day went by the Stitcher noticed some other irregularities in Mom’s behavior.  The Stitcher had always gone to Mom’s on Christmas Eve to help with the preparations but this year she ended up doing almost everything.  As least Mom had already baked the cakes and pies before her “lapse.”

On Christmas Day she noticed several more oddities but no one else seemed to take notice.  Her brother, David, seemed oblivious to anything being wrong, so the Stitcher just chalked it up to stress.  But she did suggest having Christmas at her house next year to make it easier for Mom.  Mom objected but the Stitcher filed it away and resolved to talk with David later in the following year.

With the holidays over, the waiting began. She was going to give the kids the birth sampler when the baby was born and she could personalize it.  And she couldn’t start on the stocking yet—she was still waiting to learn the sex of the child.   Then one day she got the call saying, “It’s a Boy!”.  So off to the LNS to get that chart that she liked so much—the one with the sleeping child dreaming of Santa and Christmas goodies,  “Christmas Visions” would be just perfect.  With chart, fabric, and floss in hand she began her task and loving every minute of it.  Although technically this was her step-great-grandson, to her it was her grandbaby.

She stitched for the next few days with Bo looking over her shoulder admiring the design.  He realized it was for the new baby and he was excited about it.   This was going to be the perfect “first” Christmas present for this little one.

As the last stitches were sewn she began to realize that she didn’t want her beautiful hand made stocking to be hung beside some cheaply made store-bought ones.  So she decided she had to stitch Brad and Kathy each a nice stocking also.   So back she went to the LNS where she found the perfect charts for these.  For Brad she chose “Santa of the Forest” and for Kathy ”Victorian Santa” was purchased.  They would love them and the colors and style would coordinate well with “Christmas Visions”.  So she stitched and stitched until she got them done and noted how well they would look hanging together.

Suddenly it dawned on her.  Her grand daughter Pam would be very hurt if Brad and Kathy got stockings and she and her David did not.  So this meant two more stockings to stitch and time was getting short.  So off to the LNS she went, looking for yet two more charts appropriate for her family.  She found a “Snowman” and “Snowlady” that she knew was just right for them.  She stitched like mad to get them done before Christmas.  As she finished the last of these she glanced at the calendar and realized there were only two weeks left before the family get-together on Sunday the 20^th.

Now everyone in the family had a beautiful hand stitched stocking.  That is everyone except for her step-daughter, Wilma.  This would never do.  So off she went to the LNS again.  And back to work.  A beautiful Angel graced the front of this one and the Lady felt she would definitely need this angel watching over her to get this one finished before the 20^th.  She stitched and stitched until finally the last stitch was placed at 11:45 pm on the 18^th.  “Just in time” she thought!

But Nooooooooo!!!!!!!

To be continued....

A Christmas Story

Today my step-daugher and all the kids came by to spend some time with me for Christmas.  It was a wonderful day and it is amazing to see how much the great-grandchildren have grown.  Jeb is turning into a wonderful young man.  He has grown so much taller and has lost that *baby-face look*.  Kaitlyn is quite a little lady these days.  It was so much fun spending time with all the family.  After they left I began thinking about past Christmases  and decided I would share a few memories with you.

                                        A Christmas Story

Once upon a time there was a nice (and very sane) Lady who lived with her Darling Husband, Bo, in a very small town in South Carolina.  She was a Registered Nurse by profession but since a job related accident had left her disabled she spent most of her time reading or cross stitching.  One fall day while looking through her favorite needlework magazine she noticed all of the Christmas ideas and she decided to stitch her small family nice, heirloom quality Christmas stockings.  So she began looking for charts.  First she chose one for her Dear Son, Jason.   Even though he no longer lived at home with her, she continued to hang his stocking each year.  She then found one for her Darling Husband and then one for herself.  The chart designs complemented each other and were perfect for her family.  She began to stitch right away and with each stitch she placed, she added love.  She stitched night and day until at last she was finished.  She was so proud when the last stitches were put in the final sock.

So off she went to the fabric shop for lining and backing fabrics.  Although she did not really like to sew she knew she could do a creditable job assembling the stockings.  She chose a beautiful dark red baby wail corduroy for the stocking backs.  With backing and lining fabrics, interfacings, pins, scissors, and thread she began her task.  Washed and pressed and ready to go…pin, cut, baste, stitch, rip…rip…rip…baste, stitch, clip, turn, press.  Repeat.  Repeat.  As she finished each one a smile of satisfaction crossed her lips.  “Not bad” she thought to herself.  “Not bad at all.”  She could hardly wait to hang them!

She then decided to cross-stitch a Christmas tree skirt to complement the stockings.  As an avid Santa collector, she decided to stitch one that would also complement her collection.  So she began her search for the perfect design.  Although she looked through all of her magazines and searched out the local needlework shop (LNS) she was unable to find one that she liked.  So she began to create one of her own.  Using various Santa, ornament, and border designs, she compiled the charts she wanted to use.  Then she thought out the size, shape and finishing ideas for the skirt.  She had decided to use a scallop design with the Santas and ornaments centered in each curve.  She chose her fabric with care.  She had a piece of Aida large enough but she didn’t want to use Aida.  If this was going to be a work of art then she wanted it done on something worthy of her efforts.  She seemed to remember buying a large piece of linen for a grouping that she planned to do but she couldn’t remember the dimensions.  She began to look for it and finally found it in her WIP (Works in Progress) cabinet.  She measured it and discovered that it was indeed large enough.  So she began to graph it out.

She planned a skirt with a 40 inch diameter.  She began trying to figure the size of the scallops and finally determined that the only way to do it was to cut it out first and “play” with it.  She found a piece of white broadcloth and folded it and cut the circle.  Then she cut 6 inch, 7 inch, and 8 inch circle patterns from card stock.  With the circle folded into quarters she began to play with the patterns until she found the 8” circles could be made to fit if she removed one “wedge” section.  This would allow for the seam and make the skirt lay properly around the tree.  She cut the linen circle and then the scallops.  She stay-stitched around the entire skirt to prevent fraying as she cross-stitched the designs.  Then she lay the linen against the broadcloth and cut it to use as the lining.

As she planned out each design, she realized that she had a major problem that she had not foreseen.  Some of the scalloped wedges were off-grain.  When she stitched a design it would be crooked!  She had already cut the linen and she couldn’t afford to buy more so she went back to the drawing board.  Suddenly it came to her.  She would use designs that did not have a certain orientation—for instance a wreath, “couching” a bow at the top after it was stitched.  So once again she began searching for “appropriate” designs.  Finally, she had enough.  She began to stitch and saw the skirt coming to life.  The days were flying by and when the last of them was stitched, she was pleased with the results.  She washed the piece and pressed it and hung it to air dry.  Then she searched for the lace she planned to use to finish it.  She had also purchased some red ribbon to tie for bows at the junction of each scallop.

The next day found the Lady at her sewing machine once more.  The lining fabric, linen and lace were pinned together, then basted and stitched.  The skirt was turned and pressed and the final handwork completed.  She decided that she would attach the small ribbon bows with tiny safety pins so that they could be removed for laundering.  When the last one was in place, she looked at her “masterpiece” and was astonished at how beautiful it was.  It was lovely and definitely one of a kind.  She couldn’t wait to see it around the Christmas tree.

She decided to do a set of ornaments.  They were “antique Santas” finished as ovals.  The Stitcher replaced the red cording with lace to match the tree skirt, and added gold cording for hanging.  These seemed to complete her collection.

As the holidays fast approached, the Stitcher began to look forward to the family gatherings ahead.  First they would celebrate with DH’s family.  Her Step-daughter  (Wilma), her step-grand daughter (Pam) and her husband (David), her step-grandson  (Brad)  and his wife (Kathy), her two sisters-in-law (Betty Lou and Mattie Sue), and a brother-in-law (JC) would be coming to her home to celebrate on the Sunday before Christmas.  Then they would go to Mom’s on Christmas Day to celebrate with her family which included Mom, her brother (David) and SIL (Erlene), and five nieces.  She began to decorate and make her plans.  She loved Christmas and always used plenty of live greenery and color.  When she began to decorate the mantle, she arranged the boxwood and holly and magnolia leaves with Nandina berries, candles and ribbon bows.  The red and green was stunning.  As she hung the stockings she thought how well they coordinated with the overall look of the fireplace.  She was pleased with her accomplishment.  She received great compliments from everyone who saw the stockings.  DH’s family really raved about them.  An idea began to form in the back of her mind.  She filed it away for further consideration.

To be continued....