a whole lot of ho-ho-holiday fun . . .

Thanksgiving was lovely and fun . . . 

. . . and the holiday somehow slipped into December without me realizing it! I'd say I was shocked or surprised--but really, it's the eleventh time it's happened this year, so I'm just accepting it. C'est la vie!

Ellie and I started the month off right by making our first Christmas craft of the season on Tuesday:

A hands and foot print Rudolph!  Isn't it darling?  We made four . . . one for me, and three for Jocelyn and whoever she wanted to share them with.

Wednesday, Kim and James brought Sawyer and June and a friend and her three children up to the camp for a candy cane scavenger hunt!  Isn't that awesome? They brought a picnic lunch and then after they ate, while the kids played on the playground, James and I hid the loot.

They all had a great time and went home with buckets full of fun Christmas cheer and treasure!

Thursday was my Stitchers Etc. stitch group Christmas party.  As always, we're to bring an ornament to exchange, wrapped in a Christmas fat quarter.  I found a darling sewing machine ornament at Cracker Barrel:

I spruced it up by making its own mini quilt out of the same material it was wrapped in.  It was really cute--so much so that I may go back to Cracker Barrel and get another two or three of those!  I also came home with a really darling ornament . . .

I adore holly, so this really made me squeal with delight!  It was wrapped in a darling fat quarter, but I'll share that later (wink, wink).

Friday morning, I picked Sawyer up and we met Jocelyn and her kindergarten class at the Von Braun Center, where they were showing Disney's Princesses and Heroes on Ice!!  It was *awesome*!!

I think the look on Sawyer's face speaks volumes!  He and I both had a blast -- he was transfixed by it all and I spend half my time watching the show and the other half watching his sweet face!

Friday evening, I worked on/finished up a little button craft I'd started . . .

I've seen these all over Pinterest and had determined I was going to make my own!  I finished it up and Todd and I declared it The Polar Express night.  Of course, you can't watch that movie without a nice mug of 'gourmet' hot chocolate!

I'm proud to say I still hear the bell ring.  Just sayin'.

The week has been *so* busy ... non-stop motion ... so I decided today would be 'stay in your pj's' day.  It was lovely!  Todd had a Sunday school get together with his class (at someone else's house) this afternoon, so it was just me and my sewing machine!!  Remember that FQ my ornament was wrapped in?  I put it to perfect use . . .

As the background for my Christmas tree!  The brightly colored packaged made the perfect backdrop, don't you think?  I started and finished it today.  I love, love, love this and I'm so glad to have a festive Christmas something to replace the pumpkin in my mini quilt stand.  Hahaha!! Working with all the buttons and beads for the wreath ornament got me wanting to play with more beads.  I used holographic thread to criss-cross the tree like garland (or lights) and then took a metallic silver and *paired* it with a dark, glossy red to quilt the cross hatches. I'd never run double thread through my machine before ... I liked the effect. So FUN!

Friday kicked off The REAL Studio Tour sponsored by Vicki Welsh of Field Trips in Fiber.  This week we were to share our favorite non-traditional tool.  One that wasn't a standard tool, but one borrowed from the garage or the kitchen or wherever.  To be honest, I had a really hard time with this one.  Because as non-traditional as my quilting and my quilting space are . . . my tools are pretty darn traditional!  The closest I could come up with is my window design wall . . .

The windows in the bunk room of the RV are slender and long . . . and one is the perfect place to hang an end of a vinyl tablecloth, so I can audition blocks.  Right now it's filled with assorted stitchery projects. Including the cornucopia....Ooops! That window is also doubles as a great place to hang my thread collection *and* my square hoop. I like having my threads just an arm's length away. Be sure to come back next Friday when we share our favorite storage methods!!

Time to tuck in . . . there's a whole new week of activities starting tomorrow morning . . . I *need* my beauty sleep!!

:)

the day is nigh upon us . . .

I love the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of this time of year!  Sweet and savory spices fill the air (in the RV, at least), the weather is crisp, and children's laughter bubbles, full of anticipation and expectation . . . and the simple realization that I have *so* much to be thankful for.  

Much like my ancestors who crossed over the Atlantic on the Mayflower and celebrated the first Thanksgiving!

I had fun on Saturday at our guild workshop.  We had such a fun group at our table!  Here we are with our various stages of projects . . .

Mine will be a doll baby blanket for Ellie's baby doll.  I am making one in pink strips for June's doll.

We've had family come in yesterday and more to come in today.  Yesterday, Ellie and I baked up several different types of biscotti and gingersnaps for snacks for our out-of-town guests (who are staying with Jocelyn) . . . 

She's very carefully measuring out some candied ginger for me.

She was particularly fascinated with the Kitchen Aid mixer ... don't tell Joc, but I let her change the speed of the mixer, under careful supervision!

I got June's dress finished and delivered . . .

I can't wait to see her in it tomorrow!  This was such a sweet and easy pattern. I want to make lots of dresses using this pattern! And I *finally* used the automatic button hole foot on my machine for this dress. Good GRAVY!!  It was SOOOOO stinking easy!  I want to make buttonholes in *every* thing now!

I've not made but twelve (yes ... so few I can count the actual stitches) in my cornucopia since my last post. 

Ah well . . . the pumpkin is fine where it is for now, and I'll have the cornucopia finished for next year! Christmas, though, is a definite must.  

I'm eager for tonight--our church family is gathering and sharing a pizza dinner before heading out with food baskets to deliver.  In the meantime, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and the prep work for the stuffing is on the agenda for today.  I got out my Thanksgiving runner, too.  

Even though we're eating on picnic tables over at the pavilion, I can still dress it up!!

That being said, I'd better get a move on . . . wishing for each of you--whether your celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow or not--a day of many things you can be thankful for!

:)

guildy remininces . . .

Last night was guild night.  I love guild nights!  We have such an uber-talented group of women in our guild -- it's really quite remarkable!  Our speaker last night was a local talent Elaine, who blogs at Messygoat.  She does fabulous things with scraps, really fabulous.  But before I share those with you, there's a couple of fun things by others I want to share first . . . 

Check out this amazing sweater . . .

Isn't this awesome??!  You know how I love buttons!  I may definitely give this a try on my own.  By the way, this was a Cracker Barrel find.

And then there's this piece . . .

My dear friend Kathy and her husband were discussing possible themes for non-judged exhibits at our bi-annual show.  They laughingly toyed with the idea of "Quilts made by the husbands of guild members." Kathy didn't think any more about it until her husband, Norm, brought her the above as a birthday present. He made it while he was out of town!  Kathy reports he had a little help from the hotel staff.  She also said it was her favorite birthday present ever!  My favorite is the back shot . . .

I loved the knots!  Norm was pretty proud of those knots, too.  Way to go, there, Norm!!

So, now on to Elaine and her presentation.  She shared lots of darling projects that's she's made with scraps:

My favorite are the fish and the owl pincushions.  I love the owl with the "angry" eyes!!  (Movie reference, anyone?!?)  She free-handed the fish, but there's a tutorial for the owls on EfermeraInk!

She also makes BIG things . . . lovely, wild, beautiful quilts . . .

I dubbed the bottom one "backgammon quilt" right away!  I'm taking her workshop tomorrow ... Yay! We're working on a scrappy variation of Bonnie Hunter's String-X.  Can't wait!

In the meantime, I'm going to turn this:

Into a dress.  And, I'm getting closer on my cornucopia:

Whoohoo!  It might just be ready to hang before Thursday!

And, look what I received in the mail yesterday . . .

Two pounds of candied ginger straight from the Amish market!  My mom sent it to me ... so now I can get started on more gingersnaps and almond ginger biscotti! Loverly!

:)

guest blogging biscotti . . .

If you have a chance, and if you're interested in the recipe for my Holiday Biscotti:

Head on over to Sew Crafty Angel and check out my guest post on her page!  This biscotti really stands on its own as a cookie and tucked prettily into a cellophane bag makes a great holiday gift for lots of occasions...if you can stand to give it away!  Ha!

I tried Almond Ginger Biscotti this past weekend . . . I'll share that one next, if anyone's interested!

This recipe is a little more like traditional biscotti cookie, very crunchy, but has lovely bits of candied ginger in it along with slivered almonds.  Very definitely a 'dunking' biscotti!

:)

Guest Post - Holiday Biscotti

From my guest post at Sew Crafty Angel:

As we gear up for the holidays and all they entail -- parties, gift-swapping, entertaining, etc. -- I thought it might be fun to share one of my favorite recipes, Holiday Biscotti,  that's a sure bet for all kinds of gifting (teachers, swaps, hostess, et al.) and looks so pretty on a buffet or dessert table . . . not to mention it *tastes* fabulous!  So much so, you may want to keep a few tucked back for yourself!

Biscotti is essentially a twice-baked cookie with Italian origins.  It's substantial, crunchy and rather perfect for dunking in your morning or afternoon coffee or tea. It's a relatively easy cookie with a basic dough, and lots of different add-ins give it a wide range of appeal. Today's recipe pairs pistachios and dried cranberries for a festive red and green cookie.

Since my husband and I are fulltime RVers, with *very* limited counter space, I really enjoy my weekly opportunities to cook in my daughter's big kitchen, which means I have some darling kitchen help, Miss Ellie!

After spending a bit of time studying the recipe for herself, Ellie says we're ready to get our ingredients together.

For baking Holiday Biscotti, you'll need to gather the following ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup pistachios (roasted and unsalted), coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli's chips)
Red and green sugar crystals, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
 
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.  

Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. 

Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.  It's very important not to over bake at this stage and to let it cool *completely*.

Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick slices. I slice mine from end-to-end, keeping the smaller pieces as treats for littles (or for myself, if I'm baking with gift-giving in mind).

Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet.  Isn't that pretty??!

Return to the oven and bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely. 

At this point, Ellie reminded me that if there are leftover pistachios, this is a great time to finish them off.

Once your biscotti has cooled, stir the white chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until it melts (or whatever your preferred method is for melting chocolate). Dip the tip (about 1/4 to 1/3) of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals. You can refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes, but I generally find this step is unnecessary. 

If I have additional white chocolate left after I've dipped all the cookies, I drizzle it over the backs of the biscotti.  It adds a pretty touch. 

The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.  Tucked in a cellophane bag topped off with a pretty ribbon and a coffee sampler or tucked in a coffee mug, and you've got a tasty gift!

Or the perfect treat for your own afternoon respite during the holiday craziness! Enjoy!

:)