Tis the Season

I must confess, this used to be me.  I was a Grinch at Christmas.  Mainly, this was because I was a working mom with a job I obsessed over (school librarian, K-8, at two schools), living with a family that still wasn't used to me being back at work and not home all the time.
My life was already maxed out.  Christmas just made everything ten times worse.  Every one of my three kids needed a present and/or cookies for everything they belonged to--scouts, sports, clubs, etc., and nobody seemed to be able to tell me these things until the night before they were due.  And then there was the decorating, the shopping, the wrapping, Christmas cards, and all the crazy pressure to make the holidays "perfect".
Well, I'm not perfect.  I cracked.  I complained.  I even said I hated Christmas.  Definitely a grinch.  Maybe my heart shrunk, I don't know.
Eventually,  I learned to slow it down a little, and to skip some things and delegate others.  My kids grew up, and instead of everybody stressing out and spending a fortune, we decided to draw names among the adults and limit the amount of money spent on the present (we're up to $25 as of this year).  Our focus is on spending time celebrating together.  Oh, and eating.  Lots of eating. 
Things are better, and I'm enjoying the holidays again.  I now think of Christmastime as a season, not just one day, and we do little fun things as we go along from Thanksgiving to New Years Day.

This week, we finally put up the tree.  Little Buddy loved helping.  (A few ornaments may have been slightly harmed in the process, but we're okay with that.)  The first thing he does when he gets here in the morning is flip the switch to turn on the tree lights, even if it's bright and sunny outside.

Can you guess what this is?

It's a tea wallet!  I made it as one of several little gifts for my Mom (I drew her name this year), and put in some of her favorite decaf teas.  I got the free tutorial online from Fanny Lu Designs HERE.  It was very fast and easy.  Now I need to make one for me!

On Monday, I decided my apple core vinegar was ready.  It has been smelling very vinegar-y for several weeks, tucked away in a dark cupboard.

I got these three bottles of vinegar from it.  They will be useful in cooking and baking this winter, and they cost practically nothing, being made from apple cores, water, and a little sugar to get the fermentation started.

Good news!  I finished the Christmas quilt this afternoon, after Little Buddy went home.  It feels so good to have this one done before Christmas this year, since the top was left over from last year.

It's a big quilt, 83 in. x 93 in., which is just gigantic for me.  I did the quilting with Mrs. Pfaff, she of the built in walking foot, and made all the markings with soap slivers.

On the left you can see the backing, a wide back I ordered from Connecting Threads last year. I quilted a gentle cable in the outer border, an easy one I've done several times.  The binding is completely by machine, which is now my go-to method.
Everything isn't done yet for our holiday celebrations, but we're making progress.
Better still, we're enjoying the journey.
I'm wishing you the joy of the season (and none of the stress!)
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up with:
Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Angela at Soscrappy