Merry Christmas

- Hard to believe the end of 2014 is near. So much happening. I lost my dear Aunt Dorothy at the beginning of October. I had been her care giver for a couple of years and losing her was life changing. I found myself bouncing off the walls for a while, often heading for the door with no reason, but life has filled itself it and things around my house have "normal-ed" out; well, as normal as can be with an illness like mine, homeschooling a bipolar child and running after 7 dogs 3 cats and a husband still recuperating from back surgery. Yes, this is the NEW normal.

I managed to sew up a few table runners as gifts for Christmas as well as homemade goodies for the baskets. We rarely buy anything. We just stopped that a long time ago and make things. SCrreech! Halt! We -- no, no, no.. I make things, I sew and I cook and I arrange. They sample, and ooh and ahh, cheer me on with moral support and thus the presents are made.

This one was for my big sis.

This one for my sis in law Susan

This one for my sis in law Thelma

 This one for my Sweet daughter in Florida

I also managed to eke out around several  homemade cards, which I also love to do. However, I found this year that I can no longer tolerate touching the paper so I'm donning my nitrile gloves for yet one more project.


















































Oops, I almost forgot. I found the cutest Pine Cone Owl project and made those for our daughter whose birthday falls precariously close to Christmas, she was pleased.  And, because the felt has formaldehyde in the processing, nitrile gloves are needed here as well.

It's like this folks.  I can give up everything I hold near and dear to my heart or I can find a way to work with it, albeit for short period of times, it does sadden me that I cannot go wide open like I did before my illness, but the things I can do, I will do.

German Christmas bread (Stollen) was baked; a recipe provided from a German friend.  It received great reviews, so thanks go out to Miz Karin.  This is right out of the over - prebutter and                    preconfectioner sugar and wrapped.

I wish I had gotten a pic of the baskets, just so I would remember next year what I did, exactly but if I get it all down here, hopefully that will be enough spark to get my imagination rolling.

Each basket had a table runner, a quart of homemade, canned veggie soup tht I did back in the summer, mainly with veggies I grew.  Next I put in seasoned Oyster crackers, a favorite recipe give to me from my late Aunt Dorothy.  I put in a load of Stollen, and a small bottle of Russian Tea that I had found the recipe for online; it got the hubs approval so I knew it was great.  I also put in a jar of dill pickles, and some homemade bark with peppermint.

One last thing before I go.  I managed to add another blog site to my areas of reading.  It is Queen Mercy Crochet.  My youngest has been crocheting and knitting since age 9 and finally has decided to challenge herself with blog site and to write her own patterns, so check her out.

So I finished everything on the 23rd.  It was time to relax.  And I did.

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New year too.  Until next time