A lovely visit and back home...

 

I was gone last week to visit my friend Debbie.  We laughed, and made cards, and laughed, and ate, and laughed.  I was able to attend a book group with her, and also tour the inside of their beautiful Orthodox Church.  

The photo above is of me and her cat...talk about a balancing act!  I bent over to get some stamp supplies out of my case, and he jumped up on my shoulders.  :)  I would have shown a photo of Debbie and I together, but since I didn't ask permission, I figured I'd stick with the cat.

We worked on Christmas cards.  I made five or so prototypes, but haven't settled on one that I will mass produce to send out.  Debbie is aiming to make one hundred cards to mail out!  I will be making well less than that (if I get them done at all).  I've got to decide and get busy, as I want to mail them the end of November.

I made my menu for the week, and ordered and picked up my groceries.  The tab was high, but there are planned overs included into the menu plan, so will restock the freezer with homecooked meals.   My order included a turkey since they were on sale; it is in the freezer to use later.  I also bought a large package of beef boneless shoulder ribs, which I cubed for stew meat.  I put half into the crock pot with vegetables, and at six o'clock tonight I will be thanking myself for the supper already being done.  The other half of the cubed meat I vacuum sealed and put in the freezer for another future meal.

The girls will be home this weekend, and we will be making pizza together.  They are both good cooks, but haven't tried their hand at pizza dough yet, so I thought I'd share the quick and easy method I've been using for awhile now.

I put up the Christmas tree on Tuesday.  I don't like to do it before Thanksgiving, but with Thanksgiving late this year, and me having to work all of Thanksgiving week, I wanted to get it done.  I haven't added the ornaments yet, but hoping to later today.  I have presents to wrap and get under it too.

So that's what I've been doing.  How 'bout you?

Oh Christmas tree...and catching up...

 

We've been having a reading contest at work this year, so I just had to assemble a Christmas tree that fit the theme of the year.  

Carey brought all these books to the office for me from home.  I've constructed a smaller version for our home dining table a couple of times for prior Christmases.  This time I used an occasional table as the base; from floor to tip it stands about 5 1/2 feet tall.  Every morning when I open the office door, I expect to see that the table has collapsed under the weight, but so far, so good.

I'll kind of be sad when it's time to come down.

It's been a couple of months since I've written here.  It's been a crazy couple of months.

We went on vacation in late October, heading to the northeast.  We were in Pennsylvania on my birthday.  When we stopped to fill the car with gasoline, I got out to stretch my legs.  I tripped.  My head hit the pavement.  Ambulance trip to the hospital.  Nine stitches on forehead.  Broken left arm.  End of vacation.  Headed home with pain killers.  Missed a month of work.

The break was pretty simple...no surgery...I'm now doing physical therapy and am back at work.  Things like picking up the laptop and typing are much easier now.

The scar on my forehead is only noticeable if I point it out.  It curves right above my left eyebrow.

All told, I am very thankful that I got off as light as I did.  

My favorite Christmas candy...

 These are my absolute favorite holiday sweet...at least of the store-bought variety.  I happened on them several years ago.

Man do I love these things! I actually wish I could get just the peppermint without the Tootsie Roll center.

The peppermint is mild with maybe a hint of vanilla?  

I keep a cup full of them on my desk at work.  I won't tell you how many times I've refilled it.  :)

They are only sold during the holidays, so I should see if I can find a few more bags before they're gone.

Making it Monday...

Today is my last day of vacation in 2020.  I was going to go with Carey to see his mother.  However, Jared is not feeling well, and is awaiting Covid test results.  Carey hasn't seen him in a couple of weeks, so he went on to keep the visit appointment.  I have seen Jared, and though it was at a distance, I still thought I should be responsible and stay home.

 I was up until 8:00 a.m. this morning finishing her Christmas gift.  She had mentioned that she wasn't liking to write letters anymore.  I talked to her about it some, and I think she doesn't like having to gather all the items needed to write a letter.  So I made her a letter box to keep everything together...just grab and go.

I used one of the boxes I like to store my quilt projects in.  They are plastic and about 12" x 12" square and 3 1/2" deep, with a handle, latches, and a hinged lid.  I'm not sure, but I'm hoping that it will sit comfortably on her lap, so she can write in her easy chair.  

I made a grid divider to fit inside to hold items needed for correspondence that I had tucked inside: a return-address stamp, address book, postage stamps, pens, and divisions for cards.  And wouldn't you know that I forgot to take a photo when I was done!  Oh, well.  

I did snap photos of the cards that I included, but that doesn't seem as impressive as the whole package.

These are really simple cards that just layer pretty papers.  I was in a rush, so kept things very basic.  There were duplicates of a couple of these, so I think there were 16 cards added to the box.  I'll make her some more as time goes on.

I had two of this one already completed so tucked them in as well.

I grabbed a few hours of sleep, and have had a quiet day working on some gifts for the rest of the family.  More on that later.

Making it Monday...

Here's a quick blog post and a quick recipe.  I'm giving mostly gift cards and gift certificates for Christmas, so I want to include them along with a little something else for the kids & grandkids to open.  This year there are no quilts like last Christmas!

But there will be some snacks and goodies, and here is one that is both super easy and super delicious!

Okay, these photos show the ingredients for 2 batches; one made with Cheez-Its and one made with Club Minis crackers (you can use regular saltines, but I couldn't find the small saltines, so I bought the Club Minis).  The recipe that follows is for 1 batch.  

Snack Crackers

In a bowl, whisk together:

   1 1/4 cup vegetable oil

   1 packet of Zesty Italian salad dressing mix

   1 packet of Ranch salad dressing mix

   1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or 1 Tablespoons if you like the heat)

Place 2  12.4 ounce boxes of crackers of your choice into a large airtight container.  Pour the oil/dressing  over the crackers, and turn to mix the oil throughout the crackers.  Turn the container every 30 minutes for 4 hours.

That's it!

I like to use my glass gallon jars, because the two boxes of crackers fit in them easily, and the jars roll easily across the counter top, which makes mixing the oil throughout the crackers a snap.  After mixing periodically for 4 hours, I will pour the finished crackers into a gifting container (because my gallon jars are keepers...yeah...I AM selfish with them!)

Making it Monday (Christmas Eve edition)...

So I finished binding all the kids' quilts with an hour to spare.  I had so effectively procrastinated...cough, cough...that I had to do all the binding on the machine (I usually do the last step by hand).  By the time I was done, I had gotten pretty good at making it invisible.  I guarantee the kids will never know any different, and, on the upside, it is probably more sturdy.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, as I was about halfway around in the final step of binding the third quilt, I realized that the bobbin was making a sound like it was getting critically low on thread.  I was so exhausted and just did not want to stop to reload the bobbin, so there was a lot of, 'oh please, please, please be enough on there to finish.'  There was...just barely.  And the spool was almost as low as the bobbin!

We had our Christmas together combined with Sunday family supper at Kasey and Beau's.  Beau cooked a prime rib on the grill.  Oh my goodness, it was SO delicious.

We also played a game of Not Parent Approved.  No skill required, and good for a few laughs.  Beau, who never wants to play games with us, loves this game.  :)

Now I have some breathing room.  I have two more quilts to bind but not a huge rush.  Then maybe I will have some time to read or cross-stitch or take a nap.  :)

Edited to add:  I had intended this to get posted Monday morning, but I forgot to hit 'publish.'  Earlier today I received a text from Kasey with two photos, saying this was how she found the girls when she went in to wake them this morning..."wrapped in Grandma's love."

Made my heart happy!  :)

2018 Christmas cards...

Christmas cards/letters have been sent.  Yea!  They went out a little late, but, hey, some years they don't go out till into the new year or not at all.

The majority were made using my Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin subscription box from last month (November 2018), but I mixed up the designs to stretch them.  I think if you used the instructions as intended it would have made ten cards (lined envelopes were included).

I got well over twenty cards by adding in a few different papers/card bases and mailed most of them in plain red envelopes.

I think this one was my favorite, and I totally copied someone else's design on this one, but couldn't find a name to give her credit.

For the majority I used this image of Scripture.

It's a little hard to tell in the photos, but the plaid paper has gold metallic lines as part of the plaid, and I used a gold metallic cardstock to back the Scripture image.

 Then I mixed it up a bit, and I pulled out the kit from last year that I never got around to using, and I made a few shaker cards.

This one really was the end of the line, and used up the last of the pine boughs.

All told I made about thirty cards, including two with cross-stitch tags that will be shown in another post.  I also slipped a copy of our Christmas letter into each envelope, and included a handwritten note as well on almost all.  Two cards I purchased from a local jewelry designer (because I just couldn't resist them), and Carey bought and mailed two cards on his own to his mother and another old friend.  (I mailed his mother one also, so she got two from us.  lol)

And though I still have lots of other preparations to make, I am happy that I got cards/letters off to so many this year.

Giving things up for the 40 days of Lent...

I began reading a couple of new (to me) frugal blogs since the beginning of the year.  This week Happy Simple Living mentioned Uncluttering for Lent which really caught my attention.

I'm not Catholic, but over the years I have many times made Lenten sacrifices...usually things that are unhealthy and/or overindulgences...the years I gave up soda, ice cream, and the Internet come to mind.  I try not to be frivolous about my sacrifice, but choose things that the absence of which will challenge me, and will remind me that God is more important than worldly things.

I'm a few days late getting started this year (Lent is Feb 14 thru Mar 29 this year)...but that's okay...it's never too late to decide to do good things.  

Possessions are something that are hard for me to let go of, so I think the solemnity of a religious fast mindset will help me progress.  I know it won't be easy.  The Happy Simple Living post suggests giving away a box or bag of usable items every day.  I made the calendar page above to track what I do daily.  I will post updates, perhaps during Lent, but for sure at the conclusion.

Gnome sweet gnome...

I really enjoyed the gourd painting class at the library yesterday.  As I was choosing an unpainted gourd from the boxful, this one kept telling me, 'I'm a gnome!  I'm a gnome!'  :)  I Googled 'gnome faces' on my phone, and chose one to use as a guide.  This is how it looked when I left the library.  I had already decided to add a mustache and change the mouth a bit, but I knew I had paint at home, so I decided to wait to make the changes.

Last night I fixed him up a bit.  Here he is with his mustache and new mouth.  I also altered his hairline a bit, and defined his beard a little.  Then I used a fine-tipped sharpie to outline some of his features.  I still need to spray it with sealer

He doesn't have a hole drilled in him to make him a birdhouse.  I guess I could add one if I wanted to, but I know I won't.  I think I will just add him to my Christmas decorations.

It was a fun project, and a fun group.  He's not masterpiece, but as my first (and probably only) painted gourd, I am happy enough with him.

Today is Tuesday...

toilet paper snowman - consumable gift everyone can use

Today I...

...saw the sun come up

...ran the cleaning cycle on the counter-top ice maker...repeatedly...then wiped it down inside and out

...did some laundry...but there is still more

...braved the hordes and shopped for Thanksgiving groceries...I forgot the red grapes

...put the groceries away

...ran the dishwasher

...took a nap

...had a nice long phone chat with my sister

...caught myself using the phrase 'hoity toity'  

...assembled a box full o' fun gift

...did some more laundry...but there is still more

...cleaned the bathroom sink/vanity


...had a nice long phone chat with my bff

...made ice 

...searched my craft stash for some clear bags for a craft project

...actually found said clear bags, and more than enough for project!!!

...used Paint program to draw/print snowman face for project

...assembled and photographed a prototype of project...see above...an effort to gift consumables that will not be clutter for recipient (and with a sense of fun)...I'm pretty sure everyone could use this...thanks Pamela for the inspiration link in your Christmas in July

...cleaned up Rudy tummy expulsion...he took my tp gag gift literally  :(

...washed my hands several times

...cleaned out fridge

...took out garbage

...put new trash liners in all the waste baskets

...emailed a friend some requested information

...emptied dishwasher

Rudolph Day - January 25...

My plan for Rudolph Day this month is to go through the house and make sure that all decorations are packed and put away neatly and organized for next year.  I'll edit in a photo after I'm done, which may not be today as I kind of have a lot on my plate today.

I loved incorporating Rudolph Day into my monthly calendar each month last year, and look forward to doing so again this year.  I have to admit that I still didn't have a perfectly organized Christmas...what with the car accident in mid November...I was in a bit of a Scrooge-y mood and didn't feel like a full-blown Christmas.

Last year I didn't initiate Rudolph Day until June.  This year I am starting in January and hoping that I make even better progress than in 2016.  Following is my recap list of what did get done, and what didn't...and what better headings than naughty and nice?  :)


Naughty:

• The Christmas tree had minimal decorations. (Rudy was interested in the tree, and I was a little afraid of him pulling off ornaments and eating the hooks...okay...and I was lazy.  Bah-humbug!)
• I did not hang the snowflakes in the window.
• I didn't decorate the mantel.
• I didn't wrap gifts till right before gifting.  (Again blaming Rudy, since I couldn't put anything under tree; but truthfully, I put this off every year.)

Nice:

• Thanks to September's Rudolph Day last year, I had a good start on our annual letter written and stored in a Word document.  All it needed were final edits and printing.  I didn't mail them until after Christmas, since the cards were more of New Year cards.
• I had holiday stamps ready to mail the letters.
• I wrote a personal note at the bottom of each letter.
• It was a very frugal Christmas, since I had purchased Amazon gift cards with credit card reward points early (good thing since I was without a car to do shopping!) and had enough to gift to each adult and teen.
• I did erect my book Christmas tree on the dining room table again this year.
• I got out my antique sled and set it up with some small pine trees atop it.
• I made a couple of Christmas gifts from supplies on hand.

Merry Christmas to all...

I was looking on my computer for a photo to put on this post, and for some reason I noticed the similarity between these two photos.  The one on the left is of Carey who was born in August of '53.  The photo on the right is of Jared, who was born in July of '83.  So these were their second Christmases, and they both got bouncy horses.  

Both of these photos had been scanned and were in the same computer folder, but I had never noticed before that they were so similar...maybe because there was an older sibling and Christmas tree in the photo of Carey that I cropped out tonight, and I converted Jared's photo to black and white, and I added the years to both.  :)  But really, the same age and the same gift!

I don't know about Carey, but Jared rode thousands of miles on his horse.  He absolutely loved it.

I hope that each of you has a wonderful Christmas that brings you much joy.

To remember from this Thanksgiving meal...

This may be one of those stories where you had to be there for it to be funny, but I'm going to tell it anyway, because it tickled our funny bones, and I don't want to forget it.

So as everyone had feasted to the max and people started leaving the table, Caitlyn (11) stretched out on the bench used as seating on one side of the table.  She groaned, and declared, "Oooohhhh, I think I'm having a turkey BABY."  Kasey and I got the giggles, because it was just so unexpected and descriptive of an over-full tummy.

Whereupon Jared returned to his seat at the table with his dessert, which forced Caitlyn to move suddenly, and she wailed, "Aaagghhh, my GRAVY broke!"

And that is one example of what I am so thankful for:  family and fun, love and laughter, that we share around the table and throughout the year.

Wishing you...

Hoping you all are enjoying a table laden with bounty and surrounded by loved ones.

October's delayed Rudolph Day...

Well, this was delayed longer than intended.  I've been indulging in reading more than I maybe should, and haven't managed to get a lot else done.

My Rudolph activity for October was to get some sewing done for Christmas, and here is my start.  This is a quilting-at-the-library group project.  We each sewed four strips of a holiday jelly roll together, cut the joined strips with a Dresden Plate template, we each took twenty of the cut strips, then joined those into Checkered Dresden blocks.  Instead of joining the blocks into a quilt, we each are keeping a block to make what we wish out of.  Some are making pillow covers; some (me included) are making table toppers.

I will add borders, and machine quilt and bind.  

The Checkered Dresden tutorial said to use a machined blanket stitch to attach the 'plate' to the backing.  My old machine doesn't have a wide variety of stitching to chose from, and I didn't want to zigzag, so I just did a top stitch as close to the edge as possible.  I'm okay with it.  It looks neat, and it was quick.

I have another sewing project that I need to start tonight, but it's a gift, and I'm not sure I should show it yet.