Last Post of the Year

GR&DF you just rock!!! Thank you all so very much for the kind comments about "CR." I can highly recommend this stitch as lots of fun and so very Christmasy!! I am almost tempted to start another LK piece. It is the "12 Blessings of Christmas" set I bought a loooong time ago. It sits forlorn in the stash heap completely unstitched and unkitted - I like it for the exact same reason I like the "CR" piece - it is so full of the Christmas spirit that is so often over looked in the hustle and bustle. I love the look of it as a sampler (surprise!!) and that is how I'll stitch it up - but when???? I know that LK is coming out with a set of Hallowe'en Rules (how cute does that sound!!) and I am sure that next Christmas she will come out with some great thing...... what to do?? Oh well, at the moment I have 3 WIP that I want to work on so I will focus on them...... but I will think about the Blessings.......
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Let me talk a little about my family Christmas holiday I just got back from - We did all the usual things - we did change up one long standing family tradition - a Birthday Cake for the Birthday Boy. We went pie this year and not cake.

On Thursday we ran down to Lee Farms in Tualitan just south of Portland and picked up one of the super delicious Marion Berry Pies they make. Here is a snap of the front door....

any place that has a sign that says "fudge" is gonna get my attention!!! The inside was decorated for the season with quite a few trees...

and as we left a slobbery, wonderful hound trotted out to get some lovin' !!

To sustain us on this arduous journey we picked up some of their homemade apple donuts to munch on in the car - no snap - as they got gobbled up before even I could get my camera out!! So, whats not to like - a delicious pie, fudge, hot apple donuts AND a great big lovable who-hound!!! If you ever get the chance to visit make the time!!

Another long standing tradition I do with the kids is to bake up some Christmas cookies - they love to work in the kitchen and it gives my sister a little break from all the cooking. I let the kids pick out what they want to make - With Katie we made decorated sugar cookies

and with Matt I made peanut butter cookies...

The cookies got eaten up pretty fast!!

On Christmas Eve we always have oyster stew!! I love the stuff and this year was no different.
I made a big pot of the it....

So deliciously thick it coats a wooden spoon.
Then it was off to Christmas Eve services - which were just lovely!!
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Here is a snap of the the stockings and tree very late Christmas Eve...

I love that the kids still like to use the stockings I made for them. It was super late when I took this snap - I like to stay up and watch the midnight service from the Vatican - such a great Christmas treat!! And so lovely.

Christmas day dinner John made a super grilled turkey - he grilled it on his "egg" grill that works like a dream. Here is a before snap...

and here is an after shot - the turkey in all its delicious glory!!!

On the last evening we had a big cozy fire and toasted marshmallows....

It was a wonderful Holiday and made so very much more special being with my family!!!
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That about wraps up the year sports fans. Thank you all for stopping by and for your kind comments!! I do appreciate every one of them!! Have a safe and wonderful New Year!!!

Take care,
edgar