CHEERS!

Did you think I won the lottery and ran away?
Not yet.
As soon as we returned from our family get together
you guessed it.......I got sick.
I kept thinking it had to "run it's course" as they say.
Not.
I ended up in the Urgent Care and
on antibiotics again.
Feeling much better now.
I so wanted to start the New Year out right, HEALTHY!

On to the fun things.......

Thank you so much Brenda for the wonderful cook book!!
I love it!
As you can see from the picture I already have recipes
marked to give a try.
I love community cook books, don't you?
The tried & true recipes of hometown cooks.
Don't you wish you could peek into their kitchens?

This next book was a Christmas gift.
Over 500 Gooseberry Patch recipes & decorating ideas.
Beautiful photos in an over sized book.
So many ideas, so little time!

Check out my latest WINE Santa.
Our California friend, Peggy Sue, sent this
adorable fellow.

The details on Santa are amazing!

He's dressed in brown tapestry.
I think I may leave him out all year!

Look who came to spend a few days with Grandma & Papa.

Our sweet baby girl & her Daddy came on Saturday
to spend the night and take brother home.
She's walking and likes to explore everything.

Grandma bought her a new hat and mittens for Christmas.
She's such a cutie, it's hard to put her down.

I'm actually going to have 2 customer quilts to show you!
I'm back doing what I love (part time).

I'm also listening to the book
"Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult.
It is about a convicted murderer who
wants to donate his heart to the sister of one of his victims.
I promise it will shake you up,
and make you think about some really tough issues that face our country.
You may have seen the movie"My Sister's Keeper"
based on her novel.

Well, I best get back to work.
Duty calls.
Just love to hear the hummmmmmm of my machine.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.

I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be fat quarters or a pattern or lace?
Or a quilt kit, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him. "Hi Santa," I said.
"You know....good little girls should be in their beds ".
"I know I should Santa, and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited to see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work."
He shook his head quickly, and left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough stuff, I'll see you next year!"


Here are a few Christmas photos of my boys.
My favorite Christmas memories........
when they were young and
believed in the magic.

Jeff's first visit to Santa (1974).
Poor Baby.

Jason playing Santa in a school play (2nd grade).

Brothers by the tree.

It has been snowing here all day and the weather man
said to expect freezing rain tonight.
Glad I'm not traveling this weekend.
Hubby and I will stay home where it's safe
and be oh so cozy by the fire.

Have yourself a wonderful, and blessed Christmas
my dear friends.

My Last Batch of Cookies

I swear this is the last batch of cookies for the year!
I'm getting all cookied out.

We are heading out this morning with the car full of Christmas.
Special foods, wrapped presents,
and Grandma & Papa's love.

While the weather is c-o-l-d..... 19*
It is crisp and sunny.
A beautiful day to drive.

Our oldest grandson has
a basketball game tonight.
And a tournament this weekend.
Just like old times!
Both of my boys LOVE
basketball and played varsity in high school.

These are better known as Chocolate Crinkles.
A real chocolate lover's treat.

I'll have Christmas memories to share next week.
And pictures of my cute grandbabies of course.
I'm bringing my snowman quilt blocks to work on.
Who knows, one of these days I may finish!

Stay safe & cozy and don't work to hard this
last weekend before the BIG day.

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Here's the Chicken & Biscuits recipe I was telling you about.

Very easy to make.
And tasty.
I substituted turkey for the chicken and it was just as good.
Hope you enjoy.
I think this came from the
Sugar Pie Recipe forum?
Recipe card template from Jessica Sprague.com

Hard to believe it's almost Christmas.
I didn't put up a tree this year. I really haven't the energy.
The weekend before Christmas
we are going to celebrate at my oldest son's house.
I am going to do my regular baking
cookies, cookies, and more cookies.
I 'm pretty sure the adult favorite this year will be the
cranberry, white chocolate, & pecan cookies.
And of course, Chocolate Chip for the grand kids.

I did decorate my mantle. I bought these battery operated candle lights on QVC this summer.
Very vintage looking.

Look at these little polka dot votive cup candle holders. Aren't they the cutest? I think I may leave them out all year. They make me happy just looking at them! They're from the Lane outlet store. I love to stop when we're in Milwaukee.

Have you read Mitch Albom's new book?

Have a Little Faith?
A true story.
"It is a book about a life’s purpose;

about losing belief and finding it again;
about the divine spark inside us all.
It is one man’s journey, but it is everyone’s story".
I really loved it.
So inspirational. Especially this time of year.
Actually, I love ALL his books.

And last in my little show & tell is
Mr & Mrs Claus.
The grand kids favorite.
You push the button and they
sing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"
and wiggle.
Hubby & I look just like them
when we dance!

It's snowing!!!
We are expecting 8-10 inches of the white stuff over night.
Hubby better gas up
the old snow blower.
Stay cozy and safe.

APRONS FOR SALE!

For all you ladies who don't sew....
I have 8 aprons for sale.
Each are one of a kind.

I made them to sell at the
Artisan Co-Op where I sell my quilts.
I thought I'd let you look first.

The fabrics, for the most part, have
a vintage 50's feel.

Apron #1 is my favorite
chicken fabric with chicken feet trim.

They are all "Half" aprons
with extra long ties so it can be tied in the front.
Great to put your flour sack dish towel in the waistband.
I know my bar stool isn't the greatest model
but it's all I have to work with.

SOLD! #2 is a 1950's kitchen scene print.
Sooo cute.

The trim and tie fabric is red with white polka dots.

SOLD! #3 is also a 1950's style print.
Kitchen appliances, flowers, fruit.

Notice the cute mixer?
This also is trimmed with red & white polka dots.

#4 is a salt & pepper shaker print!

The trim and ties are white with green polka dots.

#5 is the classic fruit print.

With a bright blue trim.
Think I have a "thing" for polka dots?

SOLD! #6 print is aprons on a checked background.

Again with red polka dot trim.

#7 is a black background print with aprons on it.

With what else....
red polka trim trim.

And last but not least
is cup cake fabric.
This has chocolate brown trim.

Each apron is $20.00 plus $5.00 for shipping.
Payment thru Paypal.
If your interested quick give me an email.
Just click on the box on the top of my page
"E-mail Karen"

I'm Back.
Oh, don't you just hate all the laundry after a trip?
That's what I've been up to since my return.
And grocery shopping.
Being gone a week I pretty much cleaned
out the fridge before we left.

Boy, do I have some great news to share.
I'm going to be a Grandma AGAIN!!!
My youngest son and his wife are
expecting #3 end of June.

Before we left for St Louis Papa and I
spent a few days with the grandbabies.
Here's our sweet boy showing off the Pilgrim hat
he made at pre-school.

Doesn't she look like a little angel?
Don't be fooled!
The little stinker gets into everything!
Here she is helping her mama fill the dishwasher.

Mike's sister and her sweet hubby.
Our Thanksgiving host & hostess.
We had such a wonderful visit.
It's hard to see her cute apron.

Fall in MO

The weather was perfect for traveling.

Thanks for stopping in to check on me.
I tried a new recipe
Country Chicken & Biscuits
will share it with you next post.

Have you started your Christmas decorating?
I've not opened a box.
Yet.
It's on my to-do list.

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue,
but the parent of all the other virtue"
Cicero

The History of APRONS

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Send this to those who would know, and love, the story about Grandma's aprons. Or it can be a good history lesson for those that have no idea how the apron played a part in our lives.

REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how
many germs were on that apron.
I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron ..... but Love !!

This was an email sent by a friend in Las Vegas.
I have no idea who the author is.
If you know, please leave a comment
and I will give credit where credit is due.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving
and like we sang in Sunday School......

"Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God hath done"