If at first . . .

I finally got a relatively un-fuzzy picture of Eve in the Garden:

This has been a very soothing piece to stitch, simply working tent stitch according to the chart. I love the shading used and will be using these colors again.

Today we decided to go see the latest installment in The Hobbit movie series. I am still of the opinion that Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo, is the best reason to see the movies. Other than his performance, I think the movies are overly long and overly fond of using orcs at every possible moment. I loved what Peter Jackson did with The Lord of the Rings, but The Hobbit, not so much. I felt the same with the way George Lucas handled Star Wars. My geek comments for the day . . .then there was a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up oysters for a very late lunch of oyster stew . . .and now we're back home and fed. Dinner may be late.  Or it may be cheese and crackers and fruit.

I had thought about taking the Christmas tree down today, but I feel like this poor tree hasn't had enough time to be appreciated, so it's staying up for at least another day. I know I'll have to work late tomorrow, so it may be New Year's Eve before we pack this Christmas away. Mother used to say Christmas comes if you're ready or not, and this is one of those years when I didn't feel like I was ready. My Christmas mojo never appeared. I never felt like it had time to appear.

That, however, is going to change in 2014. One of my online friends and I were chatting about some of the gorgeous trees we've seen on blogs this year, amply adorned with handmade ornaments. We both have stitched ornaments, but nothing like some of the trees we've seen this year.  Well, said she, if we both stitched--and finished--at least one ornament a month, that would add at least a dozen to our own displays.  Is this, said I, a challenge?  And then she triple-dog-dared me. (If you watch "A Christmas Story" every year, you know why this is such a challenge.) So I am adding a finished Christmas ornament, at least one a month, to The Overly Ambitious List.

I have lost my mind.