I'll Be Home For Christmas

I don't know about you, but I have barely sat down for the past few days.  Every time I thought I had my act together, I'd remember one last thing that needed to be done.  Yesterday was spent mostly in the kitchen, well, excluding the quick trip to Target and Aldi.  And also excluding the hour or so in the sewing room making Hannah's last minute stocking to hang with all the others from the mantle.

So today, I shall sit.  I shall sit, and read, and relax.  But first, I wanted to show you a Christmas sampler quilt I designed six years ago.  It is one of my all-time favorites.

This quilt I call "I'll Be Home For Christmas."  You see, six years ago, we were waiting for our sweet Maggie to come home from China.  We were also waiting for my brother, Doug, to come home from Iraq.  So, we were missing a couple of very important family members that Christmas.

 

My thoughts turned sentimental as I stitched up this quilt--thoughts of home, family, prayers, stockings, mittens, Christmas trees, snowmen, American flags, and bright, starry nights.

 

 

I stitched some lyrics from one of my favorite Christmas songs all around the border:

"I'll be home for Christmas.  You can plan on me.  

Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents on the tree...."

This year we are waiting again....for a very special little boy to join our family.  He'll be home for Christmas, if only in our dreams.

We love you, Caleb.  Merry Christmas, sweet boy.

And Merry Christmas to all my friends and family!

Love,

Cranberry Pecan Panuche

Ginger Crinkles!

Today I'm revisiting a post from last year. This recipe has been requested by several friends. So, here you go!

Time to don the apron and make our first batch of Christmas cookies!  These soft, chewy Ginger Crinkles are my favorite cookie recipe from my childhood.  My mom used to make these year round, actually.  But they are especially great at Christmas.  And I've never met a soul who didn't like them!

No rolling and cutting these babies. You just mix up the dough, form little balls, and roll them in sugar!  They puff up while they're baking, then settle down slightly and crinkle when you remove them from the oven.

I can mix up a batch of these in no time flat.   And with my first "batch" of December company coming tomorrow to spend one night, I thought a little plate of these might be a nice treat.

I hope you'll try them!!

Ginger Crinkles

• 2/3 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

*******
1/2 cup sugar for rolling 

Heat oven to  350 degrees.  Mix oil and sugar thoroughly.  Add egg and beat well.  Stir in molasses.  Sift dry ingredients together and add to above mixture.  Drop by teaspoonfuls into sugar and form into balls coated with sugar.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake for about 10 minutes, or till puffy.  Remove to wire rack.  Cookies will flatten and crinkle.

 

Love,

My New Favorite Breakfast

Every once in a while I discover a new taste combination that's a bona-fide winner.  This is definitely one of those times.  Recently, a friend told me about a breakfast treat she serves and I knew I had to try it.  It's ridiculously simple. 

For this you're going to need:

• toast or half a bagel
• half a banana
• 1 heaping tablespoon cream cheese
• honey
• granola

All you do is take the bagel or a slice of whole wheat toast and spread a liberal tablespoon or so of cream cheese on it.  Cut the half banana in half again lengthwise.  Place those two strips side by side atop your toast.  Now drizzle with honey.  The honey becomes the glue that holds the granola on top.  Sprinkle liberally with your favorite granola.  (This post shows how I make mine.)

Oh. My. Word.

Crazy good!  And you'll feel so healthy eating it!

I can't wait until tomorrow so I can have this again.

Love,

Christmas Quilt Winner!

We have a Winner!!

Janet Buck

I drew your name for the

Happy Holly Days

Christmas Quilt!!

Have a lovely Thanksgiving, and I will deliver it to you personally when I get back into town.

Love,

Laura Lee

And The Winner Is....

We just drew for the Rodrigo Rodreguez Christmas CD.

 GRANDMAMA! 

You are the luckiest lady I know! Between you and Rochelle, no one else stands a chance in these drawings!

Unreal.

I'll bring it to you tomorrow.  You're gonna love it.

Love,

250th Post and Another Give-Away

I noticed the other day that I was posting for the 249th time.  That can only mean one thing.  I've spent way too much time writing this blog for the past three and a half years.

I do appreciate all of you who have joined me along the bloggity highway.  And, luckily for you, I like to commemorate the milestone blog posts with a little give-away.   I know.  I'm right in the middle of another give-away.  But this called for one of its own.  And I had no idea what I was going to do until tonight.

Tonight was the annual Thanksgiving dinner at our church.  And while I love all the food and great fellowship, my favorite part is after the dinner.  Our church always brings in a guest musician for a concert afterward.  And tonight was no exception.

Tonight we were blessed to hear Rodrigo Rodriguez on classical guitar.  I loved hearing the incredible testimony of a gifted musician, who played for audiences around the world, soloed with some of the most famous orchestras, yet never found peace and happiness until he met his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Seventeen years ago, he trusted Christ for his salvation and committed his life to serving his Master.  Now, his ministry is not to perform, or to do "concerts", it is only to share the love of Christ and the hope that can only be found through Him.  To God be the Glory!

I love his message.  And I love classical guitar.  So while I picked up a couple CDs for us, I also grabbed one to give to one of you.

Imagine the lights dimmed, a fire crackling in the fire place, a warm quilt, a cup of hot cocoa, and a sparkling Christmas tree.  Now imagine this beautiful music playing in the background.  That is what I was imagining while he was playing some of these Christmas carols tonight.

Leave a comment, either here or on my Facebook, if you'd like me to enter you to win his Christmas CD. Believe me, it is GORGEOUS!   Visit this website if you'd like to hear previews of the songs.  You'll need to scroll to the bottom to the Christmas CD.

I'm going to draw for this in the next couple days.  So, holla in a hurry, ya' hear??!!

Love,