Pirate Santa!

I've been trying not to be so one-sided lately - you know - only focused on writing. Of course, with the deadlines, that's been a little tough, but I'm trying. This is a craft project I've been working on since we went on vacation in July. Mostly, I work on it on car trips and Friday nights at Brynn's while watching Supernatural. But I finished it yesterday while visiting my dad! I still need to frame it, but here's my first finished cross stitch project of the year.

Scroll down to see all the pics. ;)











Yup - it's Pirate Santa - complete with candy cane peg leg and hook and a little pewter treasure map.

So it seems Dad was right. Again.

It's no secret that I love to be crafty. Well, one of the things I really enjoy doing is making cards. My dear, darling Brynn got me into it a few years go when she had a stamping party. We don't do it all the time, but when we do, we have a blast and holy cow, you should see the cards Brynn makes. They're mailable works of art!

So Thursday night, after rescheduling since November, I went to her house to get crafty. We knew we were going to need a new craft table, so the plan was I'd head over and we'd go to Sam's Club and pick one up. That part worked just fine. We got to the store, found the one she'd picked out earlier (along with some super yummy cream cheese frosting cupcakes) and checked out. Easy peasy.

We got to Brynn's Tracker and she laid the seats down and tried to get the table into the back. It stuck out through both of the back doors. We turned it on an angle. This time it only stuck out through one of the doors. To be fair, we probably could have gotten it to fit long-way between the front seats...only her back hatch is broken so there was no way to turn the table in the right position to try it.

We decided to tie it to the roof. Only...there was no rope or bungee cords in the car. So I table sat while Brynn ran back inside the store to get something. She came out a while later having made the discovery that Sam's carried neither rope nor bungee cords. o.O

So she headed across the street to the Wal-mart next door, wading though snowbanks and sliding on the ice, while I again table sat. (It was very well behaved.) After a slightly longer wait, Brynn returned victorious with blue nylon cord and a scissors to cut it with. (It's important to point out here, that I would have come back without the scissors and would have had to trudge back again.)

What should have been a thirty minute run to the store was now bordering on an hour and a half. We got the table tied to the roof, and I started to laugh. In my head, I heard my dad's most oft quoted advice, "You can always use a good piece of rope." Brynn, being a boy scout leader, ties waaaaaaaay better knots than I do, but we still got the table home in one piece. She put the remainder of the rope in the backseat, and now she'll always have a good piece of rope handy. And we still got a bunch of cards made and had fun doing it - so go us. :D

Crafty?

Over at the Evo blog, we're discussing our creative outlets other than writing. Come over and visit...there are pictures. Not as good as milk and cookies, I know, but it's the best I can do via the internet. :)

A Crafty Christmas at the Green House

Well, two more holiday parties down.

We had a party at my Mom's on Saturday and it was a blast. All three of my brothers, my sister, my sister-in-laws and my nieces and nephew were there. My boys had a riot having a Nerf war with their cousin and uncle. There was hiding behind cabinets and furniture, diving rolls across the floor. Walking between them was like being trapped in an action movie.

On Sunday, we went to my Dad and Stepmom's place for another party. It was fun, but the roads were awful. A one hour drive turned into two because of all of the ice, wind, drifting snow and whiteouts. But everyone made it there and back - safe and sound.

Unfortunately, I now have the plague - a holiday gift from one of my daycare kids. So in lieu of thinking coherently, I thought I'd share some pictures of holiday craftiness from the Green home.

The picture up above is a Christmas castle that my Gram knitted for me the year I got married. She'd made one for each of my aunts and uncles the previous year and she'd planned on making one for each of the grandkids as they got married. Unfortunately, I was the only one to ever get one because she died before the following Christmas. It's one of my most treasured possessions.


These are our stockings hanging on the living room archway...along with various masks and mobiles. There are closeups below.

Here's Killian's stocking. In case, it's difficult to make out, it's Santa riding a dragon. I'm pretty proud of these since I made up the patterns as I was going along.

his is Corwin's - a dragon peering out of his cave at his little Christmas tree.

These are mine and Matt's. I made them the first year we were married. I'd just learned to cross stitch the year before and was a rabid addict. Matt's is a dragon sitting by his gifts (there are little knights in the foreground) and mine has faeries and a unicorn...cause, yeah...I'm a nerd like that.

And last but not least - this is our tree. It's a hodgepodge tree of ornaments the boys made when they were younger, faeries, dragons, castles, moons, stars and lots of Winnie the Pooh - both Classic and Disney. I love me some Pooh Bear.

Well, that's it for the crafty Christmas tour. I'm off to make some tea and cwtch up under a blanket and maybe take a nap. I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful holiday and that those that don't have a lovely time as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!