December Fun -

I have now officially started my summer holidays as my work has closed for it's annual four week summer break.  It seems like the past week or so has gone by in such a blur - we've had several end of the year functions to go to, Hannah's last ever dancing show, a wonderful stitching get together, work things and last night, Hannah and I went to see Wicked for Good at the movies - loved it!

Glenn and I were invited to a function by some of his clients at their farm property last weekend.  Unbeknown to all the guests there, it turned into a surprise wedding as their daughter got married! It was a great evening, with a local band playing, and it was a perfect summer evening weather wise.  This was the view that greeted me the next morning, from where we had parked up our campervan.

The stage they have set up on their amazing property, look at the huge mirror ball!

Hannah had her last dancing performance in her dance school's end of the year show - it was a very emotional day. We are so proud of all her dancing achievements,  and her dance teacher Miss Deb acknowledged all of the hard work, tears and many hours of practise Hannah put into not only her ballet, but tap, jazz, lyrical and musical theatre dance over the years. Hannah "might" be enticed back next year to help teach the younger ballet students, as she has thoroughly enjoyed it over the past two years.

The beautiful candy cane dahlias and Christmas lilies are now flowering in my aunty's garden - to me this means Christmas isn't far away now.

During the first week of December I got two new stitching projects under way - first up, Deer Santa from Stitching with the Housewives.  So cute x

Peace on Earth is a sampler that I've been wanting to stitch ever since it was released. I'm stitching this on Cafe au Lait linen by Fibre on a Whim using the recommended threads. All the the little stitching accessories I'm using were gifted to my by my friend Clare in last year's advent swap.

We held our annual pre Christmas get together for our stitchey friends on Sunday, and what an amazing day it was. I just love these get togethers, we have so much fun, sometimes there's absolutely no stitching achieved as we are too busy catching up on each other's news, having lots of laughs, enjoying some treats, and ohhing and ahhing over each other's crafty projects on the go.  We always have a secret Santa and usually play one of those "left' "right" games, hilarious.  My lovely parcel included the following goodies:

included was this gorgeous yarn bowl, and I've been wishing for one of these for a very long time.

Here's what I included in my parcel:

I had a lot of fun making these project bags a few months ago, following a tutorial by Elizabeth Ann Can Stitch, which I can now share as they have been gifted to friends.

I also made up some cross stitch clutches as well to with the bags. 

For over five years now, my friend Clare and I have participated in an advent swap, and we exchanged gifts yesterday. These are the gifts I received, including the stunning blue bag, I just the little sheepie!

Two stitched ornaments Clare also included.

Clare is so very talented with her craft work, and I feel very lucky to be the recipient of one of her bags.

These are the gifts I put together for Clare:

Ornament by October House Fibre Arts

I took a different approach to my stitched gift this time, and gave Clare the two stitched pieces from the Bee Still my Heart pattern by Heartstring Samplery, for Clare to finish how she pleases. 

Our Christmas plans this year include spending the day with family at my niece Zoe's in Napier, and then catching up with Glenn's family on Boxing Day.  Then we are off to the beach for a few days over New Year's, with another beach trip planned a bit later in January. 

This will be my final post for 2025, as I’ll be taking a short break until late January. Before signing off, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you. Your visits to my blog, kind messages, and the thoughtful comments you leave here, and on Instagram truly brighten my days.

I wish you and your loved ones a joyful Christmas, filled with laughter, special moments, and plenty of delicious food. May this festive season bring you happiness and peace.

Merry Christmas, and I look forward to reconnecting with you in 2026!

Katrina xx