Merry Chrismtas

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday.

Its a Piggy Christmas

Great new piggy items made their way to m y house for Christmas.  Love the pig fabric!!!  Will have to find something perfect for it.  Plus a piggy spatula.

This is Arthur the Christmas pig, he was feeling left out, so I added a Christmas ribbon to him.

Christmas Vacation

I am so excited that we are out of school for Christmas vacation. I guess I should be politically correct and call it Winter Break, but to me it is Christmas vacation and that is what I am going to call it. Vacation got off to a great start on Friday night with Thimbles.  Unfortunately I was too exhausted from such a busy week at work to stay too late, I did get to see some great quilts.  Sarah is working on her version of Kitty's Baskets from Pat's book.  Her version looks dramatically different from Pat's neutral one. 

Teresa was getting in the spirit with her miniature Christmas hat.

Carmen's version of Scrappy Nines, another quilt from Pat's book.  She is doing her version in grape and neutrals.  I really like it.

Lynn a new member to our group totally wowed us with her log cabin quilt.  It is a gift for her mom.  It was absolutely beautiful.  She did a really different setting and it looked like stars.  If the front of the quilt wasn't enough, when we saw the letters on the back, several of us had tears in our eyes.  She and her brothers and sisters had written letters to their mother, and Lyn had embroidered them for the back. 

 One reason I didn't stay too late at Thimbles was I had a busy weekend  ahead of me.  We were doing Christmas with DH's family on Sunday and I had to do some major house cleaning on Saturday, plus start preparing the food. The menu was lamb, roasted green beans with potatoes, cranberry apple casserole, bread, fruit salad, and an assortment of cookies and candies for dessert.   Lamb is a big tradition in his family and not something that I am very comfortable cooking.  I wanted to get it in the marinade on Saturday, plus get as much of the food prepared as I could.  All in all I think everything turned out ok.  The lamb appeared to be a big hit, I didn't eat any of it, that is one meat that I just can't bring myself to eat.  After a late lunch it was present time.  Way to many presents but it was very nice.  DH racked up on the goodies.  I got several books that I had asked for plus to gift certificates to the quilt shop up in blue Ridge.  Can't wait to spend them!!

Joe's mom and niece opening presents.

Christmas Lunch

 The best people work in Elementary Schools.   I am lucky enough to work with three of the  most wonderful people in our office,  Julie, Maryette, and Patrice.  They prepared lunch for a number of us today for Christmas.  Not only did they prepare lunch but they decorated too.  I love the little snowman in the fern.  There was soup, several different kinds of salads, (the fruit salad was wonderful), bread, and of course the desserts were yummy.  It was a nice break from reading the Polar Express.

Lovely table in Patrice's office.

Yummy cornbread to go with Maryette's delicious potato soup. 

Great Christmas Reads

 As most of you have figured out by now, I love Christmas, anything to do with the holiday, but especially Christmas books.  I have several favorites.  One of my favorite adult holiday books is by Truman Capote, A Christmas Memory.   It tells the story of when Capote was a child living with relatives and the Christmas tradition they had of making fruitcakes for "special" people.  This is a wonderful heartwarming book, not very long at all. 

Another of my favorites is Clay's Quilt Silas House.  I didn't think I could do justice to the summary so I borrowed from Amazon. 

After his mother is killed, four-year-old Clay   Sizemore finds himself alone in a small Appalachian mining town. At first, unsure of Free Creek, he slowly learns to lean on its residents as family. There’s Aunt Easter, who is always filled with a sense of foreboding, bound to her faith above all; quiltmaking Uncle Paul; untamable Evangeline; and Alma, the fiddler whose song wends it way into Clay’s heart. Together, they help Clay fashion a quilt of a life from what treasured pieces surround him. . .

One of my favorite books to read to little ones is Auntie Claus.  Each year Sophie tries to figure out why her Aunt disappears to in October and doesn't return until March.  It must have something to do with her favorie saying, "No matter what the holiday, remember it is better to give than receive."  Will Sophie solve the mystery before Christmas?

I don't do this one justice when reading  but I try really hard, a Cajun version of the classic Night Before Christmas.

You can't go wrong with Olivia helping out in the kitchen for the holidays.

The Polar Express, no need for words.

Olive, the Other Reindeer.  What dog hasn't wanted to be a reindeer.

DH's Birthday

 Yesterday was my DH's birthday, Happy Birthday.  I usually take the day off and we do something together, but I since I don't have a clerk this year, and I have already taken several days off for unexpected events I decided to work.  One reason I take the day off, is I cook him something special and I don't like to be rushed when I am doing it.  Yesterday we had Shrimp Fettuccine with cream sauce, fresh croissants, salad with honey balsamic dressing and for dessert decadent Chocolate pudding.  (his favorite dessert)  For the first time I made him something (that he could actually wear out in public), I was inspired by a fellow blogger last year to  make him a camo fleece top.  It was  my first experience sewing with fleece and it went together perfectly.  I think that he liked it.  I should  have made it a tiny little big bigger but it fits.



Camo fleece shirt

The first year we were together I got him an ornament for his birthday and it has become a tradition.  I usually get him an animal ornament or some type of outdoorsy one, this year he got a bear.  I bought it because it had such a goofy look on its face. 

I love Christmas!!

 When it comes to Christmas, I revert to childhood and get excited about everything, especially lights.  Last night DH and I went to the Garden of Lights at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  It was out of this world!! (well worth the price).  This was the first year for this light show and I hope it will continue.  If the crowds last night were anything to judge by it will definitely be back.  The fountain to the right contains a one of a kind piece by Dale Chihuly, it is something to see, especially with all of the blue and green Christmas lights around it. 

The light orbs that pulse in color to the Christmas songs.

Poinsettia Tree in the greenhouse.

One of my favorites, the red and white snowflakes.

Skyline of Midtown. 

I can't believe that I won something!!!

 I never, and I mean never in anything.  But I must be living right, I have won two things in the last month.  Wooh!!  My first win was a tub of cookie dough from school, (you don't see it here, so you can probably judge my enthusiasm for that item).  What you do see, I am so excited about.  I had a quilt on The Blogger's Quilt Festival and my number was picked for one of their wonderful prizes.  I won the give away from Prairie Moon, (what could be better for the Quilting Cowgirl?)  I was so excited the day the package came in the mail.

Festive, western inspired tissue paper, what's in it?

Oh, boy!  A pattern, four fat quarters and a stocking kit.

Can't wait to get started on this stocking kit.  Too bad it probably won't be finished for this Christmas.

It's beginning to look like Christmas

 It should start to look like Christmas, it took three days to get my  tree up and decorated.  I love real trees, but for the last few years I have caved into pressure for DH and gone the artificial way.  ( I have to admit they are easier to put up and deal with).  Here is DH putting an antique Santa ornament that belonged to his Grandfather on the tree.  Our tree has all and I do mean all kinds of ornaments.  Some are mine from when I was little and some are were DH's.  I also buy ornaments anytime we go on vacation, they last longer than T-shirts and you can always find Christmas ornaments.  It is fun to put them on the tree and remember where we go them. 

Here is the tree all decorated, except for the scene and goes under it.  That job belongs to DH. 



Some of my many pillows.  I have lots and lots of Christmas pillows, this one is my favorite, All Jolly Old Fat Men Welcome.   



Snowman peeps add a special touch to hot chocolate.