Holiday Cheer

Greetings,
It's frightening how the weeks seem to zip by so quickly. How can it be Monday again already. In spite of the sunshine and sun glasses, I know that it is almost the time of Advent. For one thing our shop open house is over, and a great success it was with plenty of treats, treasures and good cheer. It is always fun to visit with everyone, and Kari's ornament project provided a grand time for all. The shop is well-decorated, and that is always a relief. I suggested that Teri find a tree that was on the small side this year, so of course she returns with the tallest one ever. I admit it is very lovely and smells just like Christmas. Teri has been preparing hand-stitched ornaments from all kinds of books for the tree and they do look very sweet. You'll just have to drop by and see. Our Christmas music is playing, Ogden's Santa parade has marched on by, and Christmas village is well ablaze in lights. All of this tells me that the festive season has arrived. In Sunday school I always say that Advent is the time for getting ready. But I think it is also the time for waiting. My Peter is waiting for finals to be over and for school to be out for the holidays. Christian is waiting for his first trek of the year to the ski slopes. Teri is waiting for a free day to get out and go shop, shop, shopping. I am waiting for a quiet week when I can stay home and bake and watch Christmas shows all night. The girls at work are waiting to go on holiday hours. Lindbergh, my beagle, is waiting for the annual holiday picture when he can be especially naughty. And I think everyone in Utah is waiting for the first serious flakes of snow to come drifting our way. But of course, the waiting, the anticipation, the preparation are just part of the whole deal and make it all the more exciting. So wait we must.
I do know that this will be a busy and fun week here at the bush. We have new kits which we are putting together in the back getting ready to ship them out. Plus, I need to choose my own Christmas project to stitch during the holidays. It might be the new Quaker Christmas--or then again it might be a small Ewe and Eye piece. I'll let you know what I have decided on next week. We look forward to welcoming Charland and Sydney from Toronto on Thursday and Judy Bielic from Texas. She will be teaching a needle felting Christmas class over the weekend and it will be a blast. We met Judy and her husband, Frank many, many years ago when I was teaching a class for the Silver Needle. They are darling, and we have been friends ever since. Next week we will post some pictures of the class.
My Advent wish for you this week is plenty of time to: do a little shopping, do a little baking, do a little decorating, do a little movie watching, and do a lot of stitching. For this I know, it will be but 2 minutes before this week will be gone and I will be writing to you again.
fondly, Tina
PS--Next week I am going to be giving you Shepherd's Bush Christmas Picks--so get ready.

PPS--This is a video of the shop before the Christmas party with a happy Christmas message for all of you!! Below are some pictures of the shop decorated for Christmas!

Our good friend Ray helped us get the tree up.

Teri with the tall tree.

Teri and Kari decorating the tree.

Teri putting the ribbon on the top of the tree.

(Left to Right/Back to Front)
Chryl, Lynnette, Christian
Leslie, Sue, Tina, Nancy, Kari
Lonii, Teri, Elisabeth, Sophie, baby Reed, Kristin, Jillian

Looking forward to the holiday season

Dear friends,
A whole week has gone by. How is that possible. Gosh, as I typed the date I realize that this is my mom's birthday, and I hit this day with feelings of sadness. I always think about her a lot this time of year and miss her so much. We watched Christian's school musical on Saturday night, and times like that are very bittersweet for me as I know how thrilled she would have been to see him and help with the costumes. She was just like that. Oh well, I have to think that she is here in some way sharing with his growing up. This is the last night of the play, and I think that we may be able to get on with our lives in ordinary time now that every spare moment won't be spent at the high school tying ties and straightening outfits. I have been relegated to the boy's dressing room, and they make me laugh. I was lucky enough to catch the cast cold--or perhaps just allergies from the dust and smell. No offense to the guys, but a bottle of Fabreze can do wonders for the soul and the nose.
With the holiday on the horizon, I know that our shop open house is quickly on its tail. We will be open from 11:00-4:00 pm Saturday and it should be a great time for all. We have yummy treats coming. My sister in-law, Martha,s famous eggnog as well as the greatest brownies from a friend's catering business. Plus--Teri has been learning to make candy from a darling customer--Judy Verbeck. She is making some for that day, and it will be wonderful--if it works. I have actually been to the candy lessons as well, but I just sit at the counter and watch them--which has always been my most successful way of cooking. We have lots of fun things for the open house. Lonii has been busy sewing new bags and we have designed several new kits. Teri has been better than I, but I'm coming along slowly with my new design. There isn't much light in a boys' dressing room. We also will have a table bursting with the most darling stocking stuffers: fun, silly, crazy. You will love them. I think we are doing a sweet little project in the back, so be sure to have a try. Anyway, we will be decorated and have our Christmas music on, so do stop by for some Christmas cheer--this year shorts and flip-flops will be totally appropriate.
The next weekend will be the Judy Bielik needle felting class so that will be something to look forward to. We have darling women coming to take it including Charland and Sydney from Toronto.
I'm not so sure how long a blog is supposed to be, but probably not this long and rambling so I guess I will move on. We are mailing our newsletter today or tomorrow, so watch for it to come. Teri's Christmas pattern which is on the back is so adorable!!!! We will have everything for it ready on Saturday. And in the meantime, I hope you may have a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever you are and sometime during the crazy festivities, just sit back and soak up the joy and blessings of the day.
fondly, Tina

Welcome to Bush Blog!

Hi friends,
A few years ago, Teri and I ventured out on a technological limb and started a web site at the insistence of many customers and the patience of our niece Kristin. Well, here we go again. Kristin assures us that a blog would be a lot of fun--and of course she has been waiting for our first one for several weeks. So now we are entering the world of cyber journals with our beginnings of the Bush Blog--name is subject to change. It sounds fun, and I love to read the entries of my favorite TV shows, though I have no great hopes of being so entertaining or scandalous. Teri has made me commit to updating the blog at the first of each week, which of course will be my first challenge as I am not a person enamoured of deadlines--hence the wording--first of the week rather than Monday. But I promise that I will try to be timely and chat about at least one item of interest and perhaps intrigue each time. Not. But don't hold your breath--I could never be responsible for that.

A few lovely things to think about and remember:
Shepherd's Bush Christmas Open House--Saturday, November 24: 11:00-4:00--the perfect almost end to the Thanksgiving weekend.
We are working on our fall newsletter which you might look forward to receiving, but often it seems to arrive in a not so timely manner--which is not necessarily all my fault. Anyway, you may enjoy it whenever it arrives, and Teri has a darling pattern coming on it to you. But don't forget to drop by on Saturday and enjoy our treats and treasures. More about this later. Just save the date.

Whew--first one down although nothing of interest or intrigue within. I will do better next week, if you find a moment and an inclination to check in on us. For now, just let your leaves blow around your neighborhood--it's more environmental anyway--and snug into a cozy chair with a well-loved project and revel in the full joy of autumn. I will hope to do the same. until next week---tina