Busy, Busy Week!

It's been a hectic but fun week!  I went caroling with a group 2 afternoons this week with a group from Dow Chemical (current, past employees or friends). This was my first year to do this and was it every fun!  We had a couple of "rehearsals" in the past couple of weeks to prepare.  They took us from nursing home to nursing home in a bus and provided bottled water and Christmas treats for in between stops.  I hope the residents had fun (I think they did.)  I know WE sure had fun!  One of the favorite things was to sing The Twelve Days of Christmas with audience participation.  We had little groups for each "day" holding up a sign and singing when it was our turn.  Some of the groups really "hammed it up".

I'm in 3 groups that are singing for church activities today, choir, faith band, and a female trio and have had multiple rehearsals to prepare.  Our music at church this am went well.  We'll have another event tonight called Cookies and Carols where various musical groups in the church (choir, youth choirs, 2 faith bands, our trio, hand bells, and pianists).  We'll also have group caroling in between the performing groups.  Everyone will bring cookies to share for the evening.  We did this last year and it was a lot of fun.  I'm expecting it to be fun again this year.

By the way, it was 80 degrees yesterday (not very Christmasy weather if you ask this Buckeye) but last night the temp dropped 40 degrees.  Brrr!!  You really feel it when the temperature drops that quickly!  Needless to say, it feels a lot more like Christmas today.  I love it!

A friend hosted a lovely brunch for my walking buddies one day this week.  Her house had been flooded early last summer and she and her DH just got to move back in last month so she was anxious to show us the repair/renovations.  Her contractor did a beautiful job!  I took her a little sled ornament for her tree.

I've made a little progress on the Denmark Santa although I don't think he'll be done for this Christmas:

I'm also working on CCN's Angels:

The little needle minder is by Lizzie Kate.  I made the mistake of reading her recent blog where they talked about the kit that included the design, fabric, and this little needle minder guy...I HAD to have it.  I don't usually buy kids but as soon as it was available, I ordered it.  Isn't he cute?

I haven't baked even one cookie.  DH is in the kitchen now making pizzelles for us to take tonight to church.

  I made some cranberry shortbread cookie dough yesterday that is chilling.  I'll bake it off either tonight or tomorrow.  I plan to also make a Raspberry Ricotta Cake and probably some spritz cookies.  I usually bake a lot more for Christmas but it just hasn't happened this year.  (It's not like we need all that sugar and calories anyway.)

We're looking forward to spending Christmas with our kids and new granddaughter.

Merry Christmas!

Happy stitching!