The Fall foliage was breathtaking this year. Looking out from my porch this was my view by end of October. The yellows were vibrant. Reds were beautiful! Even the little peach tree’s orange was sweet. I was so excited about Fall and it’s colors that somehow I missed Halloween in a sense! And for me that is the real start of the Holidays! I love Halloween. I enjoy decorating for Halloween and that didn’t happen until the very last minute when I realized my ornament tree wasn’t decorated so I put up a few Halloween ornaments. I had even started stitching a Halloween ornament at the end of September and this was the result of that endeavor. 
This Witchy Mermaid took me a month to stitch up. The pumpkins share my sentiments exactly! Too long to work on a cool underwater witch. <sigh> And still it sits waiting to be created into an ornament for next year now.
I keep thinking this crazy snowstorm we had in the middle of October really side tracked me. Big fluffy snowflakes, snow covering the ground and me with visions of snowmen dancing in my head. 
I did however recover enough to bake Halloween Muffins at my house. I used my favorite chocolate chip muffin recipe and mixed in the orange and semi sweet chocolate chips. Was festive and felt more like Halloween with it’s colors. Not to mention they were yummy too.
Now I can’t believe November zoomed by and I’m really behind on everything! Where did the month go? I’m planning my Thanksgiving menu. My favorite cooking and baking time of year. But it does feels like it crept up on me without warning. Turkey, mashed potatoes, my broccoli quiche, corn, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce a must, apple and pumpkin pies too. Need to bake a cake as well. Something pumpkin, perhaps a pumpkin roll. Love the cream cheese filling! We celebrate our family Thanksgiving on Wednesday with the kids and their significant others. So on Thanksgiving Day we go to the in laws and I bake my pumpkin sheet cake frosted with cream cheese frosting to bring to the feast. Maybe I’ll even get to stitch with my sister in law for a bit. Hmmmm, better find something small to stitch on that day. But Thanksgiving evening I so look forward to a cold turkey sandwich with heated up leftover sides. What are you cooking for Thanksgiving and what do you look forward to the most?
Which now brings us to that stitchy time of year. . . Christmas Ornaments!! Christmas is around the corner and my homemade gifts aren’t near completion. Some aren’t even begun! Guess I’ll be kitting together a Christmas ornament to stitch on at the in laws with Shannon. How many years did I promise myself I’d get started early on ornaments and every year it’s the same story, later and later I start my xmas gifts for family and friends.
Speaking of Christmas ornaments, I was so excited to see my Snowman’s Quaker Christmas stitched up on Facebook by Erica Parsons. She did such a beautiful finish too. 
Erica stitched the little guy up on plastic canvas then glued them to colorful felt adding sequins and beads. She then trimmed the felt with her pinking shears. It never ceases to amaze me how this little snowman gets around. Snowman’s Quaker Christmas is such a fun ornament to stitch and works up quickly too. If anyone else has stitched him and would like to share their pic of the ornament or fob or however you finished the snowman please email me so that I can share it here on my blog.
I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you create wonderful memories this holiday season with your family and friends. Thanks for stopping by for a visit.
Stitching, tea and me 