Refreshed and renamed

Life administration took longer than expected but several items were ticked off the never ending To Do List and with the start of another year I'm looking forward to better things.   Yes, in the 'Calendar of Margaret', the sixty third year begins today.
Progress has been made on another front also.   I have decided to rename my elderly parent as DBEM since she is now a great deal more than half deaf and three quarters blind!   She is now deaf, blind and elderly.   Don't tell her I have noticed this progress.  She is fiercely independent and probably assumes my silence on the matter means I have not noticed her growing ineptitude, the need for me to redo tasks she "can still do dear", the increased volume on the TV,  the increasingly restrictive dietary requirements etc
Fun and games here.   DBEM drops her dark coloured 4mm knitting needle on our light coloured carpet and when she can't find it I search.  Moi?  I drop a small number 28 tapestry needle on a grey mat, worry that I will end up with said needle in my bare feet, only to have DBEM say, "is that a needle by your feet dear?"   How did she see that?   Apparently it sparkled in the light from where she was sitting!  And so we help each other even if the help equation is mostly unbalanced.
The basket of finishes is now empty and I have a sense of satisfaction along with a new resolution.   As I stitch projects I will find a new home for the chart and so reduce unnecessary stash.
My friend Susan took the chart for this chook (and his friend the Quaker Chicken)
Doesn't he look great?

Two Christmas ornaments - I have kept these charts as I will probably repeat.  I love both of them.

Mary Beale's Christmas Wreath all finito!   I don't know what I will do with either this or the one I did last year:-)   The back is red velvet fabric from the local curtain shop -  excellent for Christmas ornaments!

The tote bag - this project veered far from my original plans but has turned out highly colourful and highly usable.   I am well pleased as all ingredients were from my stash cupboard.   The black is a heavy woollen fabric left over from my winter skirt, quilting cotton lining etc etc   Large pockets on either side are really useful.   The DBEM is making appreciative noises so she may get to use this.

This Christmas Ornament is supposed to be Holly berries but looks too pink to me.   Still it turned out well and I will use it as I rather like the 3D hanging bauble effect.

Another hardanger tassell -  I do wish I had kept count of how many of these I have made.   Nearly 50 I think.  They are always welcome as gifts and sell well at the Embroiderers Guild Exhibition.   Besides which they use up scraps of linen fabric which I am loathe to discard.

And now to work on filling up the basket again.