Day 10–Away in a Manger

Day 10 in Susan’s photo challenge is “Away in a manger”. 

This little manger set was in a box of odds and ends Christmas decorations I purchased at a household auction the first year we were married.  I bought the box for the lights and didn’t realize it was at the bottom until I got home.

It’s a chintzy little ivory colored plastic set with gold embossing but I love it!  Not because of the look but because of the memories.  Since it was plastic, when the boys were little they could play with it which they did.  Baby Jesus almost always turned up missing at some point during the holidays but we always found him back.

The cool thing now is to watch the Grandkids play with it.   All this enjoyment for a dollar at a household auction!

Day 9–Santa Claus

Day 9 – Santa Claus…These two Santa’s are the only ones I have in my house.  Not really into the whole Santa decoration thing but love these Jim Shore ones!

Any guesses?

Tonight, I’m making food for our Christmas walk at work tomorrow.

Our building usually goes a little overboard with the theme and dressing up.   We’ve done Redneck Christmas (we’ll never top this one – it just came so natural), How the Grinch stole Christmas (I guess I never posted about the Grinch year – sorry), and last year, A Miser Christmas to name a few.

Any guesses on what this year’s theme might be by looking at the food picture?

There isn’t a prize for the winning guess, just the pure satisfaction that you got it right!

I’ll post the answer here _______tomorrow night because I’m sure you’re all dying to know but you’ve got to guess first! 

Answer: 

The blue popcorn was one of many blue foods for A SMURF Christmas!  More pictures to follow in a few days.

Day 8–Stamped and Addressed Christmas Cards

Day eight’s topic is stamped and addressed Christmas cards. 

 

 

 

What, you can’t see the picture of my cards??? Really???
that’s because I haven’t completed that task yet!

There was a time when I wrote our Christmas cards out over Thanksgiving weekend and mailed them the following Monday.  That’s not been the case the last few years.  If I have them in mail the week before Christmas, I’ll be ecstatic!

Day 7–A Wreath with a Red Bow

Today is Day seven in Susan from This Day’s 25 day photo challenge and the subject of the day is a wreath with a red bow.

I just happen to have one hanging on the porch!

Day 6–A Candy Cane, or Five

Today is Day six of Susan from This Day’s 25 day photo challenge and the subject of the day is A Candy Cane, or Five.

The only candy canes I have in the house I have sitting in an old enamel mug.  I bought them at a craft shop after Christmas one year on clearance and they’ve become one of my favorite Christmas what-nots.

Day 5–Something Warm & Tasty

This mix has become of somewhat of an expected tradition at my workplace.  When I first started in my division, at Christmastime, I brought bags of Praline Chex mix for all of the guys and women I work with.
It’s become a tradition to the point of being told if I ever leave, they’ll expect a box full shipped at Christmastime. LOL

It’s an easy and oh, so yummy Chex mix.  I’ve made it for so many years, I can’t remember where I initially got the recipe but I’ll share it anyway.

Can you see all the brown sugar and butter gooey-ness ?   oh, yeah, it’s there!  It’s really tasty when it’s warm right out of the oven. mmmm!

Praline Chex Mix
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups Rice Chex
2 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Wheat Chex
2 cups pretzels
1 cup pecans (I usually use mixed nuts)

Bring brown sugar & butter to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. (I use the microwave).
Mix together the cereal, pretzels and nuts.
Pour brown sugar syrup over the cereal mixture.
Pour onto a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for approx. 8 minutes, stirring halfway through.

You’ll love it but be careful, it’s addicting!
Let cool and store in an airtight container.  This freezes well too.

Day 4–Presents Wrapped Under A Tree

Again, this topic presents a challenge since we don’t have our tree up yet(see yesterdays post) nor do I have any gifts wrapped.

While babysitting the grands yesterday, I thought what better present could I find under a tree than our three grandchildren, so here you go…

gifts by a tree that are far superior to anything that needs to be unwrapped!    We are so blessed!

It’s FINISHED!

This quilt has been over three years in the making.  DH & I went away for our anniversary 3-1/2 years ago and on the way home we stopped at a quilt shop.  Go figure, right?  While browsing, he said “why don’t you ever make me a quilt?”.  I didn’t know he really wanted one so long story short, we came home with fabrics he personally picked out for his quilt.  He wanted a Case-IH Magnum colored quilt.  For those of you not involved in farming, this means nothing.  Suffice it to say, that a Magnum is a red &  black with silver colored tractor.

(How does a person give photo rights from a Google search? Since the name is on the picture – is that good enough?  just wondering)

I started on his quilt not too long after we returned home but then it sat, and it sat, and it sat until the last couple of months. 

I either finally got the mo-jo to finish it or I just got sick of looking at that tub taunting whenever I started a project other than his quilt.  You decide.

The striped part of the blocks are foundation pieced – nothing too difficult but incredibly time consuming.  I really love the way it came together especially the narrow red border and the outer pieced border.

I don’t like a plain back on a large quilt so I added a few of the red fabrics that were on the front of the quilt to the back.  The grey pieces are part of the Moda Wool n Needle line.  It’s an incredibly soft brushed cotton and will be really warm.
Fuzzy the cat must have tired of this picture taking folly – I think he’s snubbing me.

The picture is a little light but here’s a close-up of the quilting courtesy of Mrs. So & So’s long arm quilting.  The pantograph pattern she used was called “dizzy”.  Love the way it turned out.

So happy this turned out the way it did and to finally have this project completed and behind me. 
Now, maybe I won’t feel so guilty when I work on other things.  Yeah, unfortunately I roll like that.  I’m a completed project kind of gal and don’t handle unfinished business very well.  
Quilting is great therapy so I’m working through my guilt complexes one quilt at a time!

Day 3 – The Christmas Tree

Today’s challenge photo was a tough one since we don’t have our tree up yet.  I have a few small table toppish sizes around the house as decorations but not what I would call “The Christmas Tree”.  The last 4 years, we haven’t put a large tree as we’ve been gone on Christmas Day or the day after.  I’ve kind of gotten used to not having a large tree.  Does that mean I’m getting old?? 
However, weather permitting, next weekend, we’ll be trekking through  a tree farm somewhere and playing lumberjack cutting a tree down.

With all that being said, I thought I would share what has become something of tradition in a town near us.  Every year for at least the past 31 years, these home owners decorate this tree with lights.  In fact it’s so well known that there are questions like “is the apple lit yet?” or “did they put up the apple this year?”

It never changes although it’s gotten bigger, but every year I still have to do at least one drive by to take a peek at it.  It’s officially the Christmas season when “the apple” is lit!