Christmas Roundup

Since the holiday, I haven't done much with my blog. I didn't even turn on my laptop! I'll share a few pictures from our holiday. This is the tree tonight. Some gifts are still under the tree but most have been put away. I vacuumed our family room so it was easier to put things away.

Here's a picture of my son, his wife, my daughter and her boyfriend after opening gifts. We open gifts after eating but before dessert. My daughter streamed some cats enjoying the holiday on the television. I'm not sure where she finds this stuff but it was interesting to watch!

I made this checkerboard cake for dessert. I bought this kit way back in the 80's when I was newly married. I had forgotten all about it. So I thought it would be fun to make for the holiday.

It's made up of 3 layers. Two layers are the same and one is different. That different one is the middle layer.

It even comes with a recipe for the frosting. Next time, I'll probably double the frosting. I just barely frosted the cake with the amount I made. It came out really good. It's already gone!! I'll definitely make it again soon.

I can't believe it will be 2026 next week! Time is flying!!!!

Almost Christmas!

I meant to post yesterday but just never got to it. I've been wrapping and decorating. I've also decided what I'm baking so I had to get all the ingredients. I had to pick up a prescription and log my hours at the library. Ugh, too much! Anyways, I thought I'd share my fireplace with the stockings my dad made for me and my family years ago! My dad was making patchwork long before I became interested in it! The stockings are quite large but we never try to fill them. We just put a few things in them. My dad is no longer with us but his stockings remind us of him.

I took this picture from my deck last week. The colors were so pretty. The pink was so bright! It was taken on Saturday, the day before Winter Solstice. I took this picture about 10 minutes after sunset. Okay, it's time to get back to holiday preps! I hope your holiday plans are going well!!

I Like Thursday #299

Welcome to I Like Thursday! A bunch of us bloggers post happy and positive content every Thursday. Please visit LeeAnna to link up to participating blogs. My husband and I went out to eat this past Saturday. The name of the restaurant is Ye's Table. Their sushi is great! I prefer maki rolls over sushi.  My order is in the front of the picture and my husband's is rear left. We also got beef teriyaki. So good! My white mai tai was tasty too!!

My daughter and boyfriend went to Iceland last week. They brought me this great yarn. It's lace weight and approximately 500+ yards. I'll probably make a scarf/shawl with it. It's all 100% wool. They chose a really pretty color too!

They also brought back chocolates. I'll probably open that box on Christmas so everyone can taste them. 

Our prompt this week asks us if we like red and green and whether it lifts our spirits. I love red and green together! It does remind me of Christmas but also of nature right outside our door. I don't have a particular shade although I love the darker versions of each color most. 

Are you done Christmas shopping?? I did a lot online and I went out a few times as well. I think I'm done but you never know! I hope I didn't forget anything!

Merry Christmas!!

More Pink Blocks

I can't believe we're only 10 days away from Christmas! I have a few little things to buy but the major purchases are done! I'm still trying to sew when I can find the time. I have 6 pink squares done for my Facets quilt. I have 38 more pink squares to finish this round. 

I found this recipe on Facebook and thought I would pass it along. I made it this afternoon.

This is what my bread looked like. It made my house smell good and it tasted great! It was a quick recipe to make. 

I Like Thursday #298

It's time for I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to find more participating blogs that are posting positive posts today. Now that I'm done quilting Laurel Ridge, I'm back to working on Facets. These blocks are 6.5" square. This round is all pink! These are so fun to make. I have to make 44 blocks to complete this round. Only 2 round left after this one!

Speaking of Laurel Ridge, the binding is all ready to be sewn on! I have my binding baby keeping it nice for me until I'm ready to sew! The binding fabric was part of the quilt kit.

One of my favorite decorations is this deer my neighbors put up every year. This deer is so elegant! I love his festive red ribbon! It's quite windy today so that's the best picture I can take!

This week's prompt asks how we calm ourselves during holiday stress. I guess my answer is that I start buying gifts early. Also, as the holiday nears, I make sure to make time for myself even if it's just reading or sewing when I can. Things don't always run smoothly during the holidays so you just do the best you can. You just need to remember that it will all turn out to be okay!!

Have a great weekend!

Quilted Laurel Ridge

This is Laurel Ridge all quilted! You can't see any of the quilting in this picture but you can see how nice and flat the quilt lays. It finished  at 92" X 92".

Here's a close up of the top so you can see my feathers. This pantograph was a breeze to quilt. The curves were nice and easy to follow. I really enjoyed it.

You can see the feathers on the back in this photo. It really looks nice. I'm working on the binding. I can't believe this quilt is almost done! It was so big that I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. I was pleasantly surprised!!

I Like Thursday #297

It's time for I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more participating blogs. Well, it's time to display all our Christmas decorations. The first thing I always do is change up my table runner. I made this bargello years ago but it's still one of my favorites! The cats used to pull the ribbons but they leave it alone now that they're a little older.

My husband is starting to decorate outside. He just put this Christmas/Kissing ball up yesterday. It looks nice against the snow.

I went Christmas shopping this morning and also bought myself a little gift! Isn't this the cutest sewing machine ornament?? I got it at the Hallmark store. I just couldn't resist!

If you're looking for a good book, look no further. This book is excellent! I'm about halfway through and cannot put it down. It's a great read. 

I'm still working on my Christmas list. I'm getting there, little by little. Have a great weekend and keep warm!!