Sunday, August 2, 2020

Santa Progress

I haven't shared my progress in a while, so I thought I would share today!  I finished up Santa number 9 over a week ago.  He's a caroling Santa who looks like he really enjoys singing.  




Then I moved right on to Santa number 10.  He's a woodland Santa enjoying nature and the animals seems to love him as much as kids do.   I have made a lot of progress on him also.


I have two more Santas to complete before I start finishing them into the final product.  I have some fabric I have had for years that I think will work really great as the back of the Santas.  I will have to see how much I have to see if it is enough for all twelve.  I haven't ordered any more charts yet, but I can see that happening as I get near finishing the twelve up!  Its been such a beautiful summer here in North Texas.  We have received some rain in late July which doesn't happen very often and with it came some cool north breezes that have us in the lower 90s.  It was 69 degrees yesterday morning which is really unreal for this time of year.  I think we only had one or two days of above 100 so far this summer.  Hopefully we can continue that trend thru August.   I took some pics of our Meyer lemon tree we purchased late last winter. It was really quite pathetic looking when we found it.  It was stuck in the far corner of a green house.  We brought it home and potted it up and kept it inside until the last frost date.  It was blooming profusely, but was also losing leaves and soon looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  But, we didn't give up, and our patience will produce 5 lemons this year.  Finally in July, I saw new leave sprouts come shooting out and now I feel more confident that it is happy in it's pot.  The plan is to winter it over in the garage that faces south and we will open the door on our  sunny freezing days which here in Texas is most of the time. 



 I also have been entertaining myself with growing some herbs and lettuce hydroponically indoors this year.  It's a fun project and its so nice to have fresh herbs to use in our kitchen.  I am so thankful for my stitching and my gardening projects as they help me keep my sanity as we navigate thru living in this pandemic. 





22 comments:

  1. a lemon tree! I love it - I know I would not be able to keep one alive here in Arkansas as the winters would be too cold for it and I wouldn't have enough sun by the house to warm it on those cold days -- good luck with it.

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    1. Yeah I think you might be right! We have a hard time growing things down here we grew up North, so having the lemon is a fun new experience.

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  2. Your Santas are so fun! I'm looking forward to seeing all of them together one day. The lettuce and herbs are so green and healthy - glad they are growing successfully!

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    1. I can't wait to see them finished too! But we must have patience. It nice to cut lettuce and not have to deal with all the dirt or bugs!

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  3. That sounds like a fun hobby! How wonderful to have a lemon tree... I love lemons! Your Santa blocks are lovely... enjoy your stitching!

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    1. Well gardening in Texas is difficult we have spring and fall gardens as our summers are so hot but I am glad I tried the hydroponics so nice to have fresh lettuce and herbs

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  4. I really like that woodland Santa. Your tree and your herbs are looking good. I am having trouble getting my tomato and pepper plants to do anything this year. Our weather just got too hot too quickly and for too long. Enjoy your stitching.

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    1. I do too the little birds and animals and acorns are everything I love. Gardening is a challenge and never bores us!

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  5. Hi,
    Love all the Santa's...so pretty. Have a great day!

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  6. My miniature lemon tree has about 15 lemons on it right now. I love your Santas! Happy stitching!

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    1. I hope mine will produce more next year. We transplanted it about the time it was having it's first bloom and then it lost leaves. It looks so much better right now that the new leaves have finally sprouted. It's a real learning experience.

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  7. Such happy cross stitch Santas. Not only do you have a fruit bearing lemon tree -it’s Meyer lemon tree - lucky you! Looking forward to the next Santa.

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    1. Yes Meyers are yummy! I am looking forward to the next two Santas too I think they may become my favorites

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  8. I do love your santas! Isn't it great when you can nurture a plant through the bad times and end up with lemons! We have an olive tree that has never produced olives but this year we have four tiny (and I do mean tiny) olives!

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    1. How exciting to finally see those four olives!!!!! Yes having our little joys really helps especially in these times

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  9. Your Santa's looks so nice, you're going to have a cute Christmas quilt or whatever they're going into. Love the lemon tree, how neat you can overwinter it in your garage. Happy stitching!

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    1. I am really enjoying watching the progress and hopefully some lemon merinque pie for Thanksgiving!

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  10. I love your cross stitched Santa's ... I can't wait to see what you have in store for them... I love your lemon tree and your hydroponic growing herbs inside sounds wonderful! Kathi

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  11. Oh, could you do a post sharing how you are growing the herbs? Your santa's are looking great and a citrus tree growing and producing is wonderful! I use a lot of citrus.... just wish I could get one to survive on my property.

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