Gift Tags

I found this box full of tags this past summer.  I decided I would use them for my gift tags for Christmas gifts....and I did...but what a joke...I hardly made a dent in the supply.

I am sure I will be using them for just about everything this coming year....good thing I have a nice assortment of rubber stamps.  :)

I will be sharing some of them soon!

Traditions

We celebrate Christ's birth and all that He has done for us.

I started the tradition of making krumkakke when the kids were little....and now my youngest has taken over the task....

...they turned out wonderful!

There are always soft peppermints.....this year in an inherited bowl.

This year I added a couple mischievious looking knomes into my dining room centerpiece....

because they looked so nice with the sweet table linen I picked up this past summer at the Goodwill....for $1.99.

 I was so blessed to have all of my children under the same roof for 48 hours....we didn't get much sleep....lots of late night games of Monopoly and Clue.  I am thankful for the leftover kettle of soup for our evening meal tonight...because I have absolutely no ambition to do much of anything today.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebration.

Yarn Along

I wasn't able to post my Yarn Along activity last week because I was worried the gift I was making would be discovered.  The sweet little girl who got this sweater vest and cap for her 1st birthday looks especially nice in bright colors.  I got the vest pattern here.

I found this book, A Christmas Treasury, at the Goodwill....and I am looking forward to reading it by the fireplace this week.

The hat pattern was a freebie at our local yarn store....I altered it a little...I had to make two of them to get the size right.

This is my first finished knit garment....it was so much fun...I am looking forward to doing more!

Time To Get Cranking!!

First off, I want thank those who took the time to leave a comment and enter the Tea Pocket give-a-way.  Friendie was half sleeping when I asked him to draw a name.....but he pulled out Colleen.  Forget about him letting me capure the moment with a photo.

I have had a request for home made ice cream on Christmas Eve.  I am happy to get the old hand-cranked ice cream pail out and get it ready.....because I have the easy job....I do the cleaning....everyone else does the cranking!

Here is my recipe for a 1 Gallon Container

2 Quarts whole milk

1 Pint cream

3 cups sugar

6 beaten eggs

Vanilla to taste

Dash of salt

I can almost feel the "brain freeze" already!!!!!

Tea Pocket Give-A-Way

Still need a gift for your tea drinking friend?

I am offering a quick weekend give-a-way that may be just the gift you want to make!

This tea cozy pattern is called Tea Pocket.  It is another great pattern from New Leaf Stitches.  You could easily get this pattern next week and pull out some fabric from your stash and make up some of these for those tea drinking people in your life...all before Christmas morning!

If you don't feel like making the tea cozy yourself, this is a brand new pattern and would make a nice gift for someone anyway!

Just leave a comment telling me if you are a tea drinker...or if you prefer coffee. 

 If you are one of my international friends, I doubt the pattern would get to you in time to create gifts for Christmas, but you are welcome to put your name in the drawing basket.

Because I want to get it in Tuesday's mail, I will accept comments until Monday when Friendie takes his nap (just a little after lunch time).

He likes to draw the winning name you know.  :)

Vintage 1968 !!??!!

I found this Santa at the Goodwill...the same Santa we had at my home while growing up...

It was put out every year along with this snowman (which is from my home).  My sister and I would just lay on the floor in the dark while our mom made supper and play make believe with them.

They were made in 1968....which makes them vintage...

So what does that make me!!??!!

December 1968

(I am the shorter twin on the right).

Coffee Surprise

Last Saturday my sister and I made plans to go to a craft show in a small town not too far away....(ok....I made the plans and drug her along...).  Although it had snowed heavily the night before, we put the vehicle in 4 wheel drive and took off creeping out of town.  We weren't in that great of a hurry, so we waited until the snowplows did their work.

I didn't have my morning coffee rations (3 cups) so I was really thrilled when one of the vendors was offering generous coffee samples when we got there.  The Almond Joy coffee was sooo good!

Now I have to tell you....I am a local shopper when at all possible.  (I also try to be a loyal state and country shopper as much as I can help it).  So now back to the coffee....

I buy my coffee locally.

But this coffee was really, really yummy (hey...they let me sample 3 different flavors....and they were all good!)

The coffee is called Minnesota Morning.

I live in Minnesota.

I could justify this purchase.

As I was trying to decide which of their many flavors to take home with me, I got a really fun surprise...

Minnesota Morning is roasted right in my local community!!

It is a small family buisness that uses Fair Trade green coffee and roasts the beans right in their home.

It gets better....

they told me to just buy one bag from them now and when I am ready for more to let them know and they will roast it up fresh and deliver it to my home!!!

Could a cup of coffee get much better than this?????

I had my shopping baskets full when we left.....my sister....well....she was a little over stimulated maybe.  :)  Personally I think her problem is she does not drink coffee....I have tried to convert her for years....some people are just beyond help.  :)

We were just blocks away from Farmhouse Woolens, so we stopped in to see what was new in Karen's sweet little shop.

I came home with a bag of fun....my sister....well....maybe if she would have had some coffee something there would have inspired her!

It was a fun morning....and I am thankful my sister joined me...when it was obviously all about me!!!!

Beginning

Emily wants to learn to play the violin.

She had one lesson.

She came home with a folder full of songs...

and can play them all!

We will enjoy the sweet sounds.

Book Boy and Eagles

Friendie was excited when we got out the stack of Christmas season books!

He likes to "read" to Grammie....

and is quite the "speed reader"...

Good thing we have a big stack! 

He was also pretty excited about the eagles outside the other day. 

Yes...there ended up being two eagles....

The one eagle sat in the tree for hours just waiting....

then right around lunch time, it swept down into our yard and grabbed one of the two dead ducks (that our naughty dog took from our neighbor's hunting bounty) and another eagle joined it out on the frozen lake....there was nothing left of that duck when they flew away.

They must have had their fill, they didn't come back for the other duck.  :)

Yarn Along - With Much Thanksgiving

These last two weeks have been hard....really hard.

I have been doing a lot of reading and knitting....reading my Bible and knitting for the calm it brings.

I already shared about my cousin's son and his tragic death.  The night before the funeral we were very close to losing another person we love....and are sooo thankful he is out of the hospital after those six fearful days.

Then Grandma fell...and needed surgery.

We know our lives will have "trials",  but must they come in multiples????

I have been working on some gifts.

I have some finished projects, but wouldn't want to spoil any surprises by showing them here!

I have been taking advantage of free patterns on blogs and internet sites.

I am finding my obsessive collection of needles are coming in very handy during my late night inspirations!

Last week I made this wool hat (made with many prayers) for our friend who spent those six days in the hospital.  I just didn't have any words for blogging then.

I wanted to join Ginny with her Yarn Along this week....I appreciated meeting so many sweet bloggers last time.

I will still be having that give-a-way...I just need a few more days to get caught up.

Have a good day...and don't forget to "Love On" your family!