Hello and Merry Christmas!
I’m popping in quickly to share a few things, mostly knitting and books!
I knit two Christmas gifts this year: a hat for Elsie and fingerless mitts for Ambrose. I didn’t take photos of the hat, but used this pattern, which is my favorite baby hat. For mitts, I highly recommend this free pattern. I’ve knit these before and they are very quick in addition to fitting well.
This stack of books represents some of those that I plan to read in the new year. Some were gifts and some are books I want to reread. I briefly participated in a book giving pyramid scheme on Facebook, not realizing that such things are illegal?! I received several interesting books including The Boy who met Jesus, Love Comes Softly, and Into Your Hands, Father (All book links are affiliate links.)
I read Of Human Bondage in high school and can’t remember much about it and plan to reread it soon. I am also going to reread The Last Unicorn. I think I do this at the end of every year-start planning what I want to read in the new year. It’s one of my favorite things.
I finished reading The Yearling to Silas and Job a couple of weeks ago. I think it was my fourth time through the book if I include my dad reading it aloud to me as a child, and this time definitely cemented it as my favorite even above My Antonia. It’s truly a treasure. The Yearling is a hard book to follow and Martha, who also read it to her children recently recommended Watership Down. I’ve been meaning to read it for years and plan to read it to my boys next.
“…there could be no greater happiness than to work-much with his hands, a little with his head, but mostly with his heart-and to live, simply, like this, close to the earth which, to him, never seemed far from heaven.” -A.J. Cronin, The Keys of the Kingdom
I finished reading The Keys of the Kingdom a few days ago. I really loved it, but it also made me sob at times so I’ve opted for some lighter reading since. (I do hope to watch the movie starring Gregory Peck sometime soon.) I read Love Comes Softly in a couple of days and found it very sweet. Definitely a “comfort read” as the young lady who bought it for me promised. Today I picked up Remarkably Bright Creatures from the library. I couldn’t resist a story with a talking octopus.
My sister used this box to mail Christmas gifts in and I love it. I’m using it to store my knitting notions.
We have made a trip to the same local farm for the past few years to cut a Christmas tree. This year we arrived on the 23rd about an hour before they closed for Christmas. They had so many trees already cut and unsold (and heavily discounted) that we chose one of them rather than cutting one. Several of the places in our town that sell cut Christmas trees were left with lots of unsold trees and I find that so sad. Did any of you see the same thing where you live? Seems such a waste. I guess it’s hard to predict what demand will be like. There have been years when we had a hard time finding a tree because we wait until the last minute and places were sold out. (Ambrose took off his shoes while playing in a sand pile at this farm. It was cold, but not that cold. We didn’t leave him barefoot for long.)
Thank you all for your kind words and prayers for Mabel! The doctor saw no change in Mabel’s fracture last week so she did not have surgery! We’ll have a couple more appointments to monitor healing and her cast will be removed soon! Getting the “all clear so far” felt like a Christmas miracle!
These photos were taken around 10 pm on Christmas Eve and we were tired but happy. It never feels like Christmas to me until we get to Mass. My favorite Mass of the year.
My one teeny bit of Christmas baking.
I remembered that my second mitten was only waiting for a graft and a thumb and I finished it up on Christmas Day. This photo was taken pre-blocking and the one below is after I blocked them. There is still visible laddering, but they are lovely and I think I’m going to wear them lots.
I told my kids that my New Year’s resolution is to knit more and watch more movies and shows. Beatrix didn’t think that sounded like a proper resolution-particularly the watching tv part. But, knitting is such a comfort and I haven’t made enough time for it the past couple of years. I think it will do me some good to try to work a bit of down time into my evenings. I’m also going to try to squeeze in a daily walk. Now that I have green mittens to wear on walks I’m sure I will be super motivated!
I won’t be back here until after the first of the year. Happy New Year to you all!
Oh my goodness!!! I lost your blog when it began displaying “Can not be displayed” and at that time I tried everything to find you. Today before I deleted Small Things from my blog list, I noticed your gsheller(dot)com and decided to check it out. My Happy New Year gift was finding you again. Is there a new blog??? I loved getting out of bed and getting my coffee then sitting down to check my favorite blogs before skies turned light. Now to catch up and read many, many of your posts, to catch up on your family and home.
We usually cut our own scraggly tree in the woods, but this year I saw a heap of unsold trees at Home Depot and we came home with one for $5. It felt like a rescue mission.
Love Watership Down and The Last Unicorn!
Hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!! So happy you are getting back to knitting. It’s such a wonderful and calming way to ease nerves! Your mittens are beautiful.
Ginny, I really am interested in your knitting projects – I love all things mitten!- but no links to patterns appeared in this blog. Could you post them here or send to my email?
Enjoyed your book picks too.
Shalom to you,
Lori in Willow Grove
Happy New Year, Ginny. Your mittens look warm and beautiful. Enjoy your walks and your knitting. Love the Christmas Eve family photo. xoxoxo
Watership Down does not disappoint, and neither will Remarkably Bright Creatures.
Happy New Year!
Buon Natale e Buon 2024, Ginny, a te e alla tua famiglia. Un grande abbraccio e un grazie dal cuore per tutte le tue condivisioni: i tuoi post mi sono di incoraggiamento 🙂
Thank you for sharing these blessings with us all Ginny. I’m thankful too that the Lord has blessed you with health and energy and that your able to keep up with everything. Happy New Year to you and your dear family ~ Linda
Hi Ginny, What great news that Mabel doe not need surgery. That is sad about the trees. We still purchase a live tree. My sister Joan always worried as a child about getting a tree. Once she dreamed about the tree being hung upside down from the ceiling. The photos at Midnight Mass are lovely, Glad you had a nice Christmas. Enjoy your books. We all received a lot of books. The mittens are lovely. I hope to do my knitting in the mew year. Ginny wishing you and your beautiful family a happy,healthy and blessed 2024. God bless.
Marilyn.
Thank You Ginny for sharing the lovely family photos at the Midnight Mass. The present you received was the good news that Mabel did not need surgery. Your tree looks so beautiful .I think Ambrose agrees. Hope you get to read your new year books. I want to re read some of the classics that were read years ago. The knitting projects turned out nice. Going for a daily walk should be every ones goal.
Happy,Healthy and Blessed New Year to you and your lovely family,
Marion
Thankful Mabel does not need surgery. Always a blessing.
I love your mittens! I love all mittens I think. Trying to find a pattern for plaid ones, but not having much luck. Will keep looking.
Hope your new year is super blessed. And again, thank you so much for sharing your family with us!
So glad Mabel didn’t need surgery–a Christmas blessing indeed!
Happy New Year!
Ginny Wishing you and your lovely family A happy,Healthy and a Blessed 2024.
So happy Mabel didn’t need surgery. Your tree is pretty. I hope to read more and rid of all the un necessary papers and things that i do not need. The live tree was the one thing I worried about as a child. In always brought a big sigh of relief Christmas morning when I saw it there all decorated.then I wondered what gifts I received. Have a good day.
Joan
Wonderful,newsy post! Loved to hear that no surgery was required for Mabel. Thank you, Lord.
Happy New Year to all of you. God bless.
Barbara
lovely post as always! So happy to hear Mabel does not have to have surgery. You have such a beautiful family. Such beautiful Christmas photos. I noticed an abundance of trees as well. The one you chose was gorgeous. The mittens are such a pretty color. I love seeing what project you have on your knitting needles. Happiness and health to your family for the New Year!
Ginny, I loved the octopus book too. You might also like a non-fiction book called The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. Fascinating. Also on Netflix, My Octopus Teacher. Delightful!
Glad Mabel is healing nicely. Happy New Year to you and your lovely family!
Ginny, what beautiful photos of your family! Thank you for sharing them. I’m interested in a couple of the books you mention. I’ll make note of them and see if our library has them. Our book club keeps me pretty busy keeping up with the monthly book, as I’m a slow reader. But I also need to give books more time each day. I don’t knit but I love seeing what you knit. I’m a returning crossstitcher, so that takes time each day….it’s a slow activity. Your chosen tree is lovely! Happy New Year to you and take good care of yourself!!!!!
Merry Christmas to you & family! So glad to hear Mabel didn’t need surgery. ❤️
2023 was a doozy with lots of very highs and very lows. I’m hoping this coming year will just let me moderate a little and enjoy life. Looking forward to more knitting, reading and walks in the forest.
Many blessings to you this coming year Ginny!
I read Remarkably Bright Creatures earlier this month–such a lovely book! We have a lovely book group of friends that are reading it too.
I am glad Mabel won’t need surgery! I crashed on my bike and broke my elbow about 8 years ago, and was shocked by how utterly frozen that joint was when it came out of the cast. Physical therapy was painful but a real blessing! I bet she’ll heal faster than I did.
Good luck with more knitting!
I’m so happy to hear Mabel does not need surgery.
We had very few trees left around us on Dec 14th in the Hudson Valley NY area.
I too have been putting together my reading list and am hoping to read more, knit more and enjoy more down time with some well chosen shows. Now that my youngest is six I feel like there is more time to pursue these things. I have had a baby or young one for close to 30 years and am so ready for that chapter. : )
Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all!!
I love the color of your mittens! And yes, I made a comment to my family about the abundance of cut trees just before Christmas.
Have you struggled to knit since Ambrose was born? I don’t know why, but Alice’s arrival somehow tapped out my knitting. I keep trying to find my way back and failing!
I try to knit & watch a little TV most evenings….it is a great way to wind down & to set a time to “close the kitchen” & stop working. If I’m pottering or on the computer in the evening I never wind down as well. Then I go to bed & read a bit as well 🥰
So glad to hear Mabel didn’t need surgery! What a relief.
I love the photo of all of you together (minus two boys, of course, but still!). Beautiful family.
I absolutely loved Of Human Bondage. I read it 10 years ago, though, so I might reread it soon and see if it still affects me the same way. I’m pretty sure it will :).
Anyway, have a wonderful 2024 with more knitting, walks, and TV ;). Down time is a good thing, indeed.
You will love “Remarkably Bright Creatures “. It was one of my favorite reads this year. Happy New Year to you and your beautiful family.
Praise God for no surgery!
Merry merry Christmas to you and yours !!!! ❤️
Thank you Ginny, for such a lovely post .