Day 11 of the Advent Calendar 🎅 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Welcome to day...

of the Online Advent Calendar, hosted by Jo @Serendipitous Stitching!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please take a look there to start from the beginning. If I looked back correctly, I think this is my 10th year doing this - time flies when you're having fun!

Here we have the Celtic Santa from Wales I stitched for my Dad this year. I asked him how he wanted it finished and he asked for it to be in a gold frame. Too bad Mill Hill doesn't make them! So I'll be looking for one online, or most likely painting it myself.

The second part of the hop this year is sharing what our favourite Christmas book is. I don't really have one for myself, but one that I used to read to Nathan. Sadly, I didn't read it to the Gmen since we didn't have it back then.

It's called the Advent Storybook, 24 Stories to Share Before Christmas. It tells the story of Benjamin Bear's Mother reading him a short story every evening about another little bear and his journey to Bethlehem, and the true meaning of Christmas.

Per Mother Bear, "But it's nice to know that God gives us friends and loved ones to help us on our journey."

So dear friends, I know this is a totally different year that none of us expected, but I'm wishing you a very Happy Christmas and blessings in the New Year.

Thanks Jo, for putting together another fun year of Blog Hops, we really needed it this crazy year. I'm a little behind on my hopping and hope to catch up this weekend.

Stay Safe Exchange 📧

Dear Clare thought up a fun exchange @Needlecraft Haven to help us through these crazy times. Those who where interested signed up and had to send an email to their partner with an easy freebie cross stitch chart, an online recipe for a cake or biscuits, and a recommended film or TV series. Easy Peasy!
I have this month to to tackle her suggestions, I'm up for it.

Lucky me, Clare had my name and this is what I received from her.

This is perfect for the times, Grateful, Thankful, Blessed. I will definitely be stitching this one, I try to remember it daily.

The recipe is for a Gingerbread Cake, which apparently I need to bake today since it's National Gingerbread Day!

The movie suggested is The Professor and the Madman.
I can't say I've heard of this, but Sean Penn and Mel Gibson... ok!
"Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor."

 And I also got a bonus! Clare recommend reading The Ribbon Weaver, whose author lives locally to her. 
"One winter’s night, Molly Ernshaw rescues a baby from the snow and changes two families for ever.
The tiny girl grows into a gifted young woman. Although devoted to Molly, Amy has far-reaching ambitions – encouraged by her neighbour’s son, Toby, she longs to move beyond ribbon-weaving to designing the hats and clothes the ribbons adorn. Her talent is recognised by Samuel Forrester, the owner of famous hat factories and shops. But Samuel and his family are haunted by the past. His son’s wife, Eugenie, is deeply troubled, and when Amy’s flair leads her to London and then Paris, Eugenie is consumed with jealousy.
Amy’s dreams are coming true, but when secrets are revealed she is caught between two worlds, and must choose where her heart truly belongs."
Not sure I'll be reading it in June, but I'll be adding it to my list.

I sent my suggestions to Deb and this is what I sent...
Sandy @ Stitching & Life in a Small Town has this lovely summer freebie, I think I'll be stitching it too!

I normally make this during the Christmas holidays, but some stores have frozen cranberries year round. I'm willing to try blueberries to see how it turns out as a summer cake.
Cranberry Christmas Cake

I couldn't decide on one movie to suggest, but this was my first. I remember watching The Man for Snowy River years ago and I loved it.
"Jim Craig has lived his first 18 years in the mountains of Australia on his father's farm. The death of his father forces him to go to the low lands to earn enough money to get the farm back on its feet. Kirk Douglas plays two roles as twin brothers who haven't spoken for years, one of whom was Jim's father's best friend and the other of whom is the father of the girl he wants to marry. A 20 year old feud re-erupts, catching Jim and Jessica in the middle of it as Jim is accused of letting a prize stallion loose."

I also chose this series, Doc Martin, which is set in the beauty of Cornwall.
"Dr. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes), a London-based surgeon, relocates to the picturesque seaside village of Port Wenn, where he establishes himself as the area's general practitioner. He grew up in the area, having been raised by his now-widowed Aunt Joan Norton (Stephanie Cole). His reasons for leaving London and the high-paid life of a surgeon are not clear initially but related to a phobia he has. He soon meets several of the locals and eccentricity abounds. Martin's situation is made more difficult by what can only be referred as an almost complete lack of an acceptable bedside manner. He is gruff, abrupt, and intolerant, not only in issues related to medicine, but to life in general. He and the headmistress of the local school, Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz), are clearly attracted to each other and, despite their awkwardness, slowly develop a relationship."

I couldn't resist including Anne with an E, another one I thoroughly enjoyed watching.
The adventures of a young orphan girl living in the late 19th century. Follow Anne as she learns to navigate her new life on Prince Edward Island, in this new take on L.M. Montgomery's classic novels.

I hope that between the two of us, you can find something you'll enjoy!