Christmas tree day…

…and some fun in the snow.  We’re hoping to get our Christmas tree up today…so we had to first go cut it down.  Only one of the kids was willing to get up and go out and my dad joined us ~ so now it’s drying in the shop by the wood stove and my living room is COVERED with a mess of decorations.

the day after….

as of just a little bit ago, everyone is gone but my little family.  We had a great time together – mom,dad,4kids,grandkids,nieces,nephews,cousins…1boyfriend,1girlfriend…5dogs…cat…-  during our breakfast this morning, it began to snow.  It looks like this might be our first real snow of the season.

Our cat, Eli, managed to escape the chaos.  I have fabric scraps stored in the flour sifter of my hoosier.  He likes his new-found comfy spot.  I guess I need to slide the glass door back into it’s spot.  Cat hair and fabric does NOT go well together!

Thanksgiving p.m.

I am guessing that I’m not the only exhausted female here in Blogland tonight.  We had a great and very full day w/23 peeps & 5 dogs.

here is one of my small tables

there were enough gb houses for anyone to make one

it was my son's gf's b-day today - I made this for her ~ we're hoping that we can keep her for forever! 🙂

It's so great to have my sweet kids home

Oh…and one more thing.  I did a fun little swap with Teresa and I received this in the mail yesterday.  These dish towels are so very sweet.  Thanks Teresa,  I love them.

This is all I can muster up for tonight.  ~Blessings to you this Thanksgiving night.

Thanksgiving Eve Eve

…and I’m getting that feeling in my gut.  There is always more to do than will get done…make sense to you?  So I’m going to make this a quick one…

the menu is set

this is what I'm working with for table colverings

This is the front of a Doodle Box - I'm working on 5 of these for custom orders - I'll explain the story behind these in a later post. I need to personalize this and add a personalized charm.

and here is the back - this board slides out to open the box up for storage - there's a white board on the other side.

I’ve got more to post but it will have to wait until tomorrow.  Oh, tomorrow…my kids come.  Yeah!  Why does that thought always make me teary???

And the winner is: Deb w/contentment! – it was fun to read your words! thanks for sending them my way…

Here are some pics of what I’ve been working on:

my work is only enhanced with a tall glassed of fresh-off-the-mountain spring water 🙂

most of these should go out in the mail today ~ I will have a few extra Christmas charms if anyone is interested for $20 each

Zhena's Gypsy Tea ~ Raspberry Earl Grey

I love to drink tea this time of year. This has become one of my favorites so I thought that I should share it with you. The aroma it gives off just when I take the lid off of the tin is so wonderful. I have enjoyed all of the teas that I’ve tried from this brand and I buy them at the Fred Meyer Nutrition Center.

ready to go into the oven!

fresh out of the oven!

I have been making a lot of bread lately. This recipe was given to me when we moved to Alaska which was 1985. I remember trying it then and thinking, “I’m not a very good bread maker”, but I always hung on to the recipe. I tried it again recently (after many years of bread-making experience) and have made it several times. It’s very good and very easy to make. I use a little more ww flour and less white.

Pilgrim’s Bread

• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbls. salt
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup cooling oil
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (110*)
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

Thoroughly combine cornmeal, brown sugar, and salt; stir gradually into boiling water. Stir in oil. Cool to lukewarm (about 30 min). Soften yeast in the warm water; stir into cornmeal mixture. Add whole wheat and rye flours; mix well. Mix in enough white flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead till smooth and elastic (6-8 min) *this was written before Kitchenaid Mixers, Bosch, etc…. 🙂 Let rise in warm place until double in size. Shape into 2 loaves place in 2 greased pans. Cover and let rise until almost double (about 30 min). Bake @ 375* till done, about 45 min. (it’s 35 for me). If bread browns rapidly, cap loosely with foil after first 25 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. (I melt butter over the top when still hot).

Yum!! Can’t you just smell it!

Sunday Inspiration! + give away~

I’m doing my Sunday Inspiration post a little early because I decided to do a random give-away!

joy \ˈjȯi\noun ~13th century

1 a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss3: a source or cause of delight

Those are all such great words.  I love the word joy – it’s a word that absolutely and completely makes me smile.  We’ve all experienced joy before and I believe that if you KNOW the Lord and have a relationship with Him, then you have the opportunity to experience joy like none other…the kind that runs deep, that fills each and everyday with an extra dose of goodness.  It’s the type of joy that is present even during your most difficult and darkest days…the kind that doesn’t make sense in our own understanding.  It’s God gift to us ~ to help us through those difficult times and to enhance our best days.

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy ~ down in my heart!

This soldered charm measures 1″ square, and was made with vintage sheet music and a cardboard circle (actually this is also vintage, it’s a Winchester wad for reloading…Mr T was throwing it in the garbage) that has been stamped with JOY!

To enter my give-a-way, I want you to leave a 1-word comment…just one word!..a word that is your favorite or one of your favorites.

If you’ve never left a comment before…now’s the time!…it’s just one word!  I’ll choose a winner on Monday morning.  good luck!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

My new apron!

Here’s how my new apron idea turned out.

I used all vintage or thrifted items except the waist band and ties.  There I used some Amy Butler fabric, which I felt tied it all together (pun intended) 🙂

I'm so glad that we've finally found a way to use our Bowflex! Miss LizaJane is so pretty hanging from it.

this close-up shows the fun texture and contrast in the fabrics

this hand-embroidered linen is now being used as pocket, which has been lined and divided down the middle

This is quite possibly one of the cutest aprons that I’ve made ~ however…its looks like crud on me – so, I’m hoping that it will at least look good on a thin person (some day that will be me!) 🙂

I’m thinking about entering this into a contest over here.  It’s a contest where you can only use things out of your fabric stash.

Can I show just one more pic?

the white background fabric is from a linen tablecloth

Visions of gingerbread!

Today was the day I had set aside for baking the gingerbread houses, with my mom and my nieces,for decorating on Thanksgiving.  I was hoping to make at least 12 (they are small) and I ended up with 13 (we will have 15 gals…from 4yrs old to….?).  So I put on my favorite Christmas charms and my favorite hat (which I refer to as my ‘happy hat’) and we started the Christmas music and had a fun, aromatic and memorable day.

a couple of my favorite soldered charms for Christmas

I started out this morning with some apron ideas…

I bought this piece of old purple fabric which was already pieced together just like you see here…not sure what it was designed for.  It is finished all around the edges and it looks like it is suppose to be part of an apron so I have a white linen tablecloth and a hand-embroidered piece of linen that coordinates well and I’m going to try to put together another one-of-a-kind apron.    More on that later…

Heavenly Stash, pt 3

My finished project from yesterday!

This is so much cuter than the picture shows {I know, they all say that}...so I'll add some close-ups

I cut/tore this up 😦 to place patches around the stocking to begin the layering process

All of the fabric used in this is Daisy Chain by Amy Butler and can be purchased here.

I really need to give this one away so I’ve started another one for me!

Heavenly Stash, pt.2

Well, it’s daylight, the ground is covered with frost, I hear my sweet-16-girl stirring to get ready for school and I’m feeling the support as I work…