WIPocalypse Progress Post, September

Another month gone - truly, I am having great trouble adapting to the speed at which this year is passing.  Less than three months to Christmas ... already I am surrupticiously sorting out my Chrismas boxes and making decisions about where I will place my Christmas things this year.

I am pleased to say that things have settled down a little in my house, and it's not as bad as I thought it was earlier in the month.  My partner's Mum has fnally accepted that her car is gone, and though she's a little down, and often puzzled about why the car  isn't there, she is adjusting to her changed lifestyle.  She still forgets she has Alzhemers Disease, but has found a hostel she likes, and has decided that's where she wants to go - eventually.  'But I'm not ready yet' is her catch cry.

I've just come home from my Dad's 90th birthday lunch.  He seemed to enjoy himself, and spent most of his time watching and talking with his great-grandchildren (Miss 2 and Master 5).  His gifts are still unopened - I've left that for another day, as he got quite tired (as I did!) and needed to go home to rest.  I noticed he ate very little, but he did manage to drink two middies of old (beer), so that probably accounts for some of the tiredness.  My lunch was delicious - lovely light pan-seared gnocchi with roast pumpkin, sage, and kalamata olives.  I really did enjoy it. Good freshly made gnocchi is an absolute favourite of mine, and this one was so light and tasty.

I've stitched nothing but Christmas ornaments this month - OK, the truth is I've stitched nothing but Christmas ornaments since I finished my HAED Jolly Old Fellow in late June.  I'm working through my stitching list, and have only a few ornaments left to stitch now.

The last three I stitched were all the same basic design, from LA's Christmas Caboodle leaflet.  I framed these three in star-shaped gold-cloured frames.  This is the last one I finished (last night):

This one is for the latest member of my extended family - my sister's grand-puppy (the odd shaped pale shapes in the stocking are meant to be bones, and I included a ball as Miss Tilly loves chasing a ball).

Here are the other two little stockings, which are Christmas gifts for the children of my new neighbours:

 

 

 

And here are the other ornaments I finished this month:

 

 

 

 

I did credit the designers in earlier posts.  The 'Christmas is Love' designs (stitched for former workmates and long-term friends) is by Sam Hawkins from the '50 Santas to Cross Stitch ' book.  The angel design was charted for plastic canvas as part of an Advent calendar, and is by Barbara Mock.