Decking the Halls

I'm a big fan of Christmas decorations, especially when they are from family and the older the better. I have many from my grandmother's home, some that the kids made when they were in school and even one that I made as a child.

Flanked by angels, my manger scene is displayed in the entryway to the great room. I received it from my grandmother many years ago even before the children were born. It's a music box that doesn't play anymore. The donkey is propped up after losing all its legs and whatever was once on the front is no longer there so years ago I attached a little angel. Regardless, it's beautiful to me.

Sometimes it sits on the mantle but this year it's on the old dresser we brought home from my grandmother's home after she passed away. It sits in the living room and holds handheld games and throws. Perhaps the manger feels it's back home.

Silver plastic camels carry three wise men with robes of red and blue. A terrible accident last year ended with one of the camels losing a leg when it hit the hard wood floor. Amazingly I never did find it. They pass the old plastic manger with the Christmas bulb hole in back in the event you would prefer to illuminate it.

A pair of old reindeer sprinkled with gold and donning bells prance across the festive mantle. I believe they may have been a part of a team at one time but that was long ago. I rescued these from my parent's ornament box so they wouldn't be boxed away with the other mismatched items. They too show their age with a missing antler.

I believe I need to start a hospital for broken ornaments. This little soldier still has a prime spot on the tree despite his missing arm. I did find it so I'll be doing a little surgery this week. He visits with the clothes pin reindeer and pony.

The little golden bird with always sits at the top of the tree near our angel. She has company with a more modern, soft tail bird from a local business run by three nice ladies. (disregard the light plug, I have to tuck that in but need a step stool to do so).

Now onto the ones made by us. The first one is pretty scary. I made this so long ago I can't remember. Kindergarten? First grade? It's all squished and terrible but it gets top billing on the back of the tree. Mom wasn't going to keep it! Poor thing.

My son's gingerbread man- he also made a ghost (a ghost??). I don't have one that my daughter made. She may have it with her tree.

A woman I interviewed for my college town paper made this ornament for me, in addition to sharing cookie recipes and her dandelion wine! Yes, we were under age but it was just one sip or two, for research purposes! She and her husband built their log home, chopping down their own trees and constructing it themselves. Very quaint and very not at all level which added to the charm.

This little guy has been a child's favorite for a couple of generations. My kids loved it and so does little Taylor. It's fun to open him up and see what has been hidden inside- but don't take it!

I can't forget Santa:

Santa has been my very favorite forever. I saw him in old home movies not too long ago when he was new and had clothes. He's not like a stuffed animal, all squishy and fluffy. He's very solid and can sort of stand up.

I have other very pretty vintage ornaments, the glass ones with glitter on them; however, I don't put them out anymore after losing a few to our hardwood floors. I don't have carpet anywhere except for a couple of bath mats. Someday I will figure out a secure way to display them and bring them all back out.

There is so much more up in the attic: A white tree with red and gold ornaments, two small trees, my woodland tree that I still have to bring down and dress up with the lodge type ornaments, Santa figurines, a ceramic village that belongs under the tree, etc. I've lost the top of the old entertainment center (that was really big) so I'm at a loss. Next year I need shelves.

Tomorrow is the first day guests begin to arrive so I need to get the finishing touches on everything and fix the lasagna-a good thing to have when you're not exactly sure what time anyone is arriving, besides, the rest of the week will be dominated by hams or turkey!

Thanks for taking a peek at some of the older ornaments. Maybe I'll show you some newer ones next post!

Linking to Jenny Matlock and My Simple Country Living

It's Pieced! Flurry Quilt Top

What a week! I have been finishing up my shopping and giving the house a super cleanings in preparation for holiday guests which will be arriving in a few days. We had friends over for a Christmas food party--everyone bringing their favorite snacks to accompany my husband's homemade pizza. In between I've been trying to finish up my projects and I'm pleased to say I completed the pieced top today!

I used Moda's Flurry charms (see previous post) using a disappearing nine patch pattern. Then I selected a border, the backing and red for the eventual binding.

Here's the full view.

A little closer view.

Cutting the nine patch in half both ways, turning opposite corners and sewing them together makes it seem like there is much more piecing than there really is. The only thing I can caution you on is to experiment with the direction you press the seams. Swiveling them and then arranging each new square can cause some pattern conflicts. You'll have to move them around until you find the proper placing, but that might mean the seams are pressed the same way. You can repress or just work through it. It's not bulky enough to worry about.

The baking is also Moda Flurry yardage. I thought it would be nice for the entire back since there was so much going on within the pattern.

I selected a nice red for the binding.

I had some help selecting the border. There is so many patterns that I wanted to pick up on the blue so it wouldn't limit it to only Christmas; but rather, winter.

I also got the binding on Mom's table runner which will match the kitchen gifts I purchased.

I still have to figure out something for my son who I just found out is flying in from Seattle but after Christmas due to a conflict with the kennel. It didn't leave me enough time to select and ship anything in advance. He's a guy and hates to check luggage so he will be bringing a carry on which means he won't be carrying anything back with him that's large. If worse comes to worse, I'm sure gift cards will fit!

(please disregard any overlooked strings. It's funny how you look something over and over but find out you missed something when the photo is enlarged!)

FORE! . . . . Plop. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

FORE! . . . . Plop. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

Yep, that's the sound the golf simulator made each time I hit the ball yesterday at Tee's Golf Grill where we had our department Christmas party. We thought we were playing random selections of par three courses but there were so many water hazards I think we were playing The Links of Atlantis! At least I wasn't the only one. My foursome was made up of gals that really own their own clubs. They actually play the game on real grass and know which club does what. None of us could manage to get past the water hazards.

When the attendant asked which course we would like to play I mentioned something about windmills and clown mouths but they didn't have that one so she thought she was selecting something easy. Wow, are the simulators ever difficult. I'll explain how the process went for me. You hit a real ball with special marking that the computers pick up. If you actually make contact with the ball it might fly into the air and hit the screen (or it may roll slowly across the floor or perhaps even backwards, depending on who was doing the hitting). The computer gives you distance and the lay of the land, wind speed and all the stuff real golfers might need to know. It then calculates how well you performed and throws your ball right into the water. After a few hits you concede the hole. All I can say is that I got the maximum amount of hits possible for our money- full advantage of the game (LOL).

Actually, while we were having lunch we could view the other simulators where groups of men that probably did this a lot were having some holiday fun. They were pretty good and seemed to find the green better than we did. By the time our two hours were up and with a change of courses to--get this---a desert course (no water to be found anywhere) we were doing much better. I wasn't sure if this was going to be something I would enjoy but it was fun, even if I didn't do very well.

We had to sign a waiver of responsibility should we get hurt. I suppose you could walk in the way of a drive and get a pretty good wack but it did mention death! Death? Well, they had a point. If I would have sunk a putt I definitely would have dropped dead!

Credits:
simulator credit, not from Tee's

Popcorn Cookies?

Popcorn cookies? Yes, can you believe it, there are cookie recipes which use popcorn, so I had to try it. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea that I tried it for the first time when baking for a cookie exchange, but I did. Then, as if I knew what I was doing, I substituted more oatmeal for the wheat germ. I don't even know if you can do that, but I did. Guess what happened?

They came out of the oven all puffy and filled with delicious raisins, coconut, oats and dried cranberries but there was one problem.

They fell flat. Really, super flat. They had holes in them. My husband held one up and thought it was a wonderful cookie because not only could he eat a few but he could also watch TV right through the middle of them! Bad husband.

Now I'm not certain if it was my substitution. Maybe flour would have been better than oatmeal. Also, it could have been my baking soda. Or maybe when doubling the recipe I forgot to double something. Or maybe all the above. I know the recipe must be good. It's from the Jolly Time popcorn people (see below) and they probably test them several times before publishing.

This is what they are supposed to look like:

They taste really good, sort of like chewy granola. But they are flat and holey. I had come up with a packaging idea too so I was sort of stuck with them. I couldn't find six of the same container that would hold a dozen cookies but I did find these popcorn tubs (above). I lined them with glittery tissue paper, placed a popcorn bag in the corner, a couple of napkins, a package of popcorn and the cookies on the bottom wrapped in cellophane. I had sprinkled some of the red ribbony filling- that paper that is festive and you put in gift bags.

Then I felt badly. Everyone else would have fine cookies, Christmas standards, not flat popcorn cookies. After church I whipped up some toll house with chocolate and butterscotch chips and everyone got 16 rather than 12. I didn't have any more nice bags but ziplocks would do.

I will share the popcorn cookie recipe- but don't substitute anything, unless you want flat, chewy granola cookies. They really do taste great.

• ¼ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup toasted wheat germ
• ½ cup oatmeal
• ½ cup flaked coconut
• 3 cups popped popcorn
• 1 cup raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruit, chopped
• ½ cup sunflower seeds or chopped nuts, optional

Here's How:
Preheat oven to 350º F
Lightly spray baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside. (I used parchment instead)
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, soda and salt; set aside.
Cream butter and sugar together and add egg and vanilla; mix well.
Stir in flour mixture and wheat germ and oatmeal until well blended.
Add coconut, popcorn, raisins and sunflower seeds, if desired, and mix until well blended.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto baking sheet, allowing 2 inches between cookies to allow for spreading.

Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Allow cookies to cool on pan 5 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely.
Yield: 4 dozen cookies


Jolly Time Popcorn Cookies

Santa Rides Again - Christmas on a Harley

We made our annual visit to Santa at our local Harley dealer, something we started years ago when a freak snow storm interrupted our mall visit. See previous post. Now it's a tradition, every year, and I don't care how old she gets. We'll be standing in that line when she's 27!

Santa had a line a mile long, or perhaps it just seemed that way. The children were very well behaved. Maybe it had something to do with the bake sale table being next to the line! They are always collecting for one good cause or another.

They display the traditional orange tree decked out with Harley ornaments aplenty. Every year she gets to pick out a stuffed animal- not your typical bears or bunnies- but skunks, chipmunks, opossum, squirrels, moles and armadillos. Believe it or not, they are adorable.

Pretty elves helped to guide the kids and point out some fine apparel.

Of course there is a sea of bikes and trikes, leather purses, shirts, pants, belts and caps.

Afterwards we took a trip to Wimpy's (as in Popeye), a restaurant that has been going strong since the 1930s. There are three booths with table tops covered in Popeye cartoons and a J shaped counter with those round stools that have swivel tops. You sit at the counter and watch them open the refrigerator, take out your burger and fry it on the tiny flat grill. They plop it down on a sheet of waxed paper with a basket of fries plus a cola on the side. You are within arms reach of the two or three workers who will discuss anything from women's ailments to local gossip. The topic of the day revolved around the T-shirt order where the "g" in Washington, MO was omitted in error. Now Wimpy's resides in Washinton, MO! It's great and it's local, no big chain with who knows what in the beef.

PS
There is a message in the previous post, one we all need to remember. It hit home for me at that "biker" place. If you can, take a minute to read it, if not just know: "So the magic of Christmas didn’t stop at a child’s wonder but also transformed the preconceived ideas of a grandma. Peace on earth and goodwill to all. Merry Christmas."

Christmas Shopping - Local, Homemade or Small Merchant

How I wish I could show you all what I purchased today- but I can't. Someone on the receiving end might just happen to find out I posted and it would spoil the surprise!!! I can show you SOME of it though.

I am determined to gift either homemade, made locally or at least purchased from one of our small merchants so after an early morning doctor's appointment I headed out to Washington, MO where they have a darling main street lined with shops competing for holiday dollars with the big (or medium) box stores. The only drawback is the parallel parking which I have not done for years! I can't say it was pretty, just that I didn't hit anyone or anything. I stopped in at the Chamber of Commerce to find out which shops might fit into my objectives. They had some great suggestions.

My first stop was somewhere where they didn't take debit cards and that's all I carry, not even a check. I didn't think about that possibility. The next shop offered the soaps you see above made by a woman in Gerald, MO, a neighboring town. The proprietor told me that the woman owns a farm and makes everything herself using her own goat milk and even grows her own herbs. I also picked up another locally made cranberry/orange jelly. It's not overly sweet.

Then it was onto several more small shops where I select the best stuff for mom- but I can't show you!!! It's killing me. Maybe after Christmas. Even more exciting is what I found for my daughter. Aggggh, I can't show you! Wait until you see how pretty it is. Another item I found for her was in my local gift shop that tries to purchase as many items made the USA as possible, another plus for them in my book.

The overly sad thing is what's happening to the small merchants. One of them told me she is dropping debit/credit as of March when her contract expires. The percentage she has to pay had been something like 1-2% and it's jumping to around 5%. That will kill her profit. Maybe Wal-Mart can absorb the cost or pass it to vendors, but not this little consignment shop. So, she will take checks (a risk) or cash or miss sales from people that don't carry cash. It's not just me, most of the young people shop with their debit/credit cards.

I noticed the fabric shop had cut way down on their offerings and then there were the shops that just disappeared- gone. If we don't do something about this pretty soon all the small businesses will be gone. So, support your small businesses, even if you live in a big city- find the mom and pop shops, take a class at your local quilt shop, learn to knit and purchase some fine alpaca home spun yarn or find a yummy candy store that makes their own fudge. What a great stocking stuffer!

After my day shopping I don't know the exact total but I don't believe I paid a huge amount over and above what I would have paid at a big box store, especially if you compare quality. My gift recipients may not get as much-but they will get more thoughtful gifts and will know my purchases benefited the little guy!

Christmas Project Update

I'm making progress on my Christmas project. I have used four Moda Flurry charm packs that I used to sew several nine patches. I started spreading them out on the floor because my table isn't large enough. This is just a few of them.

I should have taken a picture of the same one as I change it up, but I didn't so you can use your imagination! Sorry, but I know how smart my blogger readers are! You won't have any problems.

You pick up one of the nine patches and then cut it in half through the middle.

Then cut each half in half so you have four blocks with the 4 inside corners being the middle square cut in fourths.

Then you flip two of the pieces leaving the center connected. You really can switch them all up if you want to.

I scooted them together so you can pretend they are sewn together. Then you can sash them or not. I don't believe I will because I want them to all blend together.

I have two more to sew- maybe. I can stop now or get enough fabric to make two more nine patches and then it will be a pretty good length. I'm going to stop by the fabric shop on Friday so we'll see. They also have the yardage so I can see about coordinating borders, binding and backing. We'll just see if I finish this by Christmas or not.

I lied, here's the photo (LOL)!

Happy Belated Birthday

Ooops! I forgot my poor little blog's first birthday- November 30!

Sorry for the delay in posting. It's been a very busy weekend. We got the ceiling back up on the porch- 5 hours of cleaning the 65 individual vinyl bead boards and handing them off to the hubby up on the rolling stage so he could nail them in place. The porch is 9 feet wide and 34 feet long so it was a long afternoon. Then I've been trying to work on the Christmas projects all while slightly under the weather these past couple of weeks.

New posts soon, I promise! Thank you to all who take a few minutes to visit!

image credit

Compact Beauty

I am linking up with The Brambleberry Cottage and Deborah Jean's Dandelion House today, showing off some of my treasures. As some of you know, my grandmother never threw out anything. Many thought her house was filled with junk. They didn't look closely enough to see the treasure.

What about these pretty vintage compacts. What a nice Christmas present something like this would make. They are not digital, not plastic and most definitely green- just fill them up and there you have it, instant beauty!

This metal compact was my mother, Ann's. I love the detail and heart shape. The compact is really silver but the lighting makes it appear golden.

What could be better than a pretty gold compact graced with engraved feathers and a loving couple in the middle. What do you think of the art deco powder and rouge purse?

If anyone finds a better powder, you better make a fast call to LaMay! A five thousand dollar reward still sounds good today!

I found a newspaper article Pittsburgh Press 1917 that boasts No White Lead- No Rice Powder. This looks to be one from 1922- see the link and photo for this particular compact here gold hinged compact.