Merry Christmas to Me!!!!!

Isn't it gorgeous? This quilt top was given to me by my Uncle Greg. It is just so stunning. Some of you might remember his "fish chowder" quilt from the Chicago quilt show back in April. This one is a Jinny Beyer pattern called "sea mark." There are 64 blocks- a large king-size, and there are over 50 pieces per block. All hand pieced. Can you believe that? He made tons of hand-painted and hand-stamped fabrics in this quilt and it is so much fun just to look at it and discover all it's little treasures. I can tell you, I was overwhelmed by such a generous gift and I must have cried for a week. But I'm bouncing back. Living with it has been a joy and I can hardly wait to quilt it- but I will have to live with it a bit longer to decide what to do on it- I want it to be just right. I seriously considered hiring that job out- I am such a wimp! But I have come to my senses. Even if I can't do nearly as good a job as some of you here, I still want to do it, myself, for sentimental reasons. Every time I look at it, I am just amazed. Uncle Greg said that there were too many "imperfections" in it to enter it into a quilt show. I don't see any, but maybe he was just saying that so I'd feel better about taking it. He did put the condition on receiving it that I use it. How could I not? Uncle Greg isn't in good health and I know he'd appreciate prayers- such talent!! And dedication in adversity. Like most quilts, it's more than just a quilt. It says a lot about the person who made and maybe something about the person who receives it.

Joseph's fiesta...

Joe is 16 and he's a rock. A flexible, easy-going rock. You can count on him to make you feel better and point out that worry won't get you anywhere. One of my most favorite things about Joe is that he's thankful- not the most common trait in 16 year olds. Joe had a fiesta- lots of Mexican food. He strung a rope of red chili pepper lights down the length of the table- very cool. He served nacho chips and cheese and soft shell tacos with Coca-Cola classic to drink. Joe almost always has the same dessert- warm brownies with icecream and hot fudge sauce- whipped cream on top. That's near the top of my dessert favorite list, too. What's not to like? He got each of the kids their own little mini deck of cards. (Growing up, playingcards were taboo around my house. Apparently, years earlier, my 2 aunts were renting a small apartment and they had left their cards on the coffee table- they just played go-fish and such with them. Well, the landlord saw them and they got evicted!! no kidding. But now, we all love to play gin-rummy, and shaghai rummy. Nerts and even go-fish. Euchre is the big card game in this area, but I haven't figured out how to play that one, yet. My grandma had a deck of Rook cards we liked to play. How times change!) It was a grand feast- and that rounds out all the children's feast days for another year. Bill's feast day is tonight, mine is tomorrow. All the shopping is done and I am getting close to getting all the presents wrapped...

Wondering if it's obvious...

No posting about Xmas... no list of things that were unwrapped. OK, so I am taking the saying "Season's Greetings!" literally. I figure that if we get around to exchanging gifts during the season of winter... it still counts, right? So the gifts are still wrapped- mostly. Some still need wrapping. I just didn't want to have to rush around and feel all hurried and harried. It's my favorite part of the winter and I guess that if I want to prolong it, I can. Every one here is playing along. So we will be opening our gifts on Saturday, January 6th. It's only a 2 week delay... That seems to be my story, lately. I'm running 2 weeks behind.

Favorite things... This has become one of my favorite things. Our friend Khalid made us some Zahowie- I have no idea how to spell that, but it is phonetically correct, anyway. It is this extremely spicey sauce- a little like salsa- only on steroids. My kids love it, too. I found a recipe for Middle Eastern flatbread and we like to dip it in the Zahowie. We also like it on basmati rice. mmmm....

Bekah's Feast...

Rebekah is 5 and she is my pink, sparkling bundle of energy. This is her, "taking a nap." Notice the eyes are still wide open. She just lost her very first tooth and she is ever so pleased with herself. Her feast was sponsored by my friend, Tanya's, craft surplus. She had given me a box of craft odds and ends a while ago and I saved them for just such an occasion. We hung birds from the ceiling- at least a dozen, with real feathers. Doves and cardinals, mostly. With a couple pink and purple ones thrown in. There were bird nests on the table with more birds. Her appetizer was chocolate and strawberries. Bekah also had to have orange wedges because she had these little floral picks that needed mooring. They had santas and snowmen on them. She made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup- along with popcorn. They like to put the popcorn in their soup. Plop! Every now and then a bird would come loose from his string and plummet to the table- none landed in the soup. She had orange pop to drink and she made cinnamon rolls for her dessert. We just got the type in a can and she lined them all up on the cookie sheet by herself. They were tasty. Her gifts were also from Tanya's craft stash. Xmas bandanas. They all put them on- the boys looked so cute with snowmen on their bandanas!

John's feast...

John is 10 and we often call him Jak. He is my sunshine child. He is never gloomy or down in the dumps. Ever. He can find the up side to any situation. His feast was pure Jak. He had already told his Dad that it was his goal to be the most helpful of all the children when it came to making the food for his feast. He did 90% of the cooking- letting me do a little bit. He served the appetizers in the living room- he made little mini pizzas from canned biscuits that he rolled flat and topped with sauce and cheese and pepperoni. He invited his guests into his feast- Italian, and lo and behold, I sat the entire feast. A first. He had lights strung on the ceiling and pine boughs around the door and down the length of the table. He served fetticinni alfredo and garlic bread. He had sparkling grape juice- both white and red, for his drink. I just sat there while he served me first and then everybody else. It was a real treat. His dessert was funny. He had baked a chocolate cake, cut them into circles to fit inside mugs, drizzled caramel on them, and then chopped candybars and finally topped with cool whip. They looked like a float and he had the kids fooled for a few minutes. His gifts were flashlights for everybody and he had made little pencil cups from cardboard and duct tape. Duct tape is a staple around here for all your armor and weapon making needs as well as gift making!

Abe's Feast...

Abe is 3 and he has personality. Lots of personality. His Grandmother made this apron for him and he was so thrilled to receive it. He was having to wear an old white waist apron- up under his armpits. This one, with the tools on it, is "kewl." Abe had a feast any 3 year old would have loved- and we all enjoyed it, too. Let's see... he set the table with a picnic tablecloth in bright plaid blue and orange. His appetizer was Ritz crackers with cream cheese and strawberry jelly. This is a treat Abraham dearly loves and so it was a no-brainer for him to serve to his guests. He made them himself and the kids were sweet in not mentioning the big blops of jelly all over the serving plate. He also dished up a big bowl of goldfish crackers. His main dish was West Virginia hotdogs. Hotdogs are one of those foods that differ greatly from one area to the next. First, you broil the hotdogs- no water near our weenies, please. Then, be sure to steam your buns. A West Virginia hotdog is topped with mustard, onions, chili, and a sweet creamy coleslaw. Now, I know that probably sounds weird to you guys, but we West Virginians like our coleslaw. You should try it- as Abe says, forking in a big bite, "I love this stuff!" And yeah, you usually have to clean your plate with a fork because it gets real messy. Ah come on, you know you want to try it! He fixed a side of french fries and we had orange juice to drink. He made giant cookies with M&Ms in them for his dessert- which I don't know why he bothered as he likes to pick all the candy out and just eat that! He bought ink pens for the bigger kids and the 3 youngest all got little travel magna-doodles. It was a lot of fun to be 3 again!

One felt bag...

done. Or nearly so. I still have to sew a lining. I am making this bag for my friend, K. K has been my friend longer than any other- 21 years. and that is saying something. She just lost her mom a few days before Christmas and I was already in a quandry about what to give her for Christmas... There are only so many quilts you can make someone- especially when they don't live in a cold climate- I've made her 3. But I think this little handbag is a winner! I might have to fill it with some luxurious little gifts. It is all sewn by hand- I am going to have to try to make one using the sewing machine, next.

Paul's Feast...
Paul(12) is my still water... you know what they say about still waters running deep. That's Paul. He tends to be quiet and private... but sometimes he just overflows and it is amazing what is going on under the surface of his controlled veneer. He is very smart. He had a really fun feast. Have you ever read any of the Redwall novels by Brian Jacques? Paul's feast was a Redwall feast. There are pages in his books dedicated to the menus of the "folks" at Redwall Abbey. The occupants are mostly mice and small woodland creatures like badgers and squirrels, moles and such. So... think vegetarian. He had scones, sprinkled with sugar, and dried fruit for his appetizer. His main course was macaroni and cheese. He wanted to do fish, but he has several brothers who aren't the biggest fan of fish, so... He had strawberry fizz for his drink- he mixed Hawaiian punch with 7-up. And then his dessert was really spectacular. The kids were all amazed. Apparently shrews are really good cooks in Redwall Abbey. So he served not 1, but 2, shrew cakes. He fixed a yellow cake and a white cake- 3 layers each. Hollowed out the cakes and stacked them on top of each other. He filled the white cake with strawberries and strawberry glaze and the yellow cake- my favorite, with peaches and blueberries with peach glaze. The cakes he covered with cool whip. They were so pretty- these big fluffy mounds and when you cut into them- oh, the fruit! It was really very very tasty- good enough for company and an easy thing to make! The gifts- well, the 4 oldest boys got new pocket knives, and the 4 youngest got those little "break and shake" glow tubes that you can take camping. They took them to bed with them and had a fun time staying up later than they probably should have! It was a very original feast and "tasty" as Abe says.

It's a blessing... and a curse...

...Nines is standing, contrite, in the laundry room.... It's 11:00pm, and she's in her nightgown...

"That's the price ya pay, Dan, when you marry a woman with a creative bent of mind..." there's a twinkle in Bill's eye as he says this and I can see his dimples, so I know he isn't too cross with me. There's clothes washer parts scattered about the room- buckets full of fuzzy water... Dan is handing Bill another tool. "Just think Mom, how much you'd have to pay to get this fixed if Dad weren't so handy..." "oh, she'll pay, son, she'll pay..." There's more than a twinkle in his eye now...maybe even a leer... Suffice to say, I paid.

• 1 sweater= $3.50+1 new clothes washer= $350=1 very expensive handbag
• A handy husband to fix the washer for free=priceless

I have come to several conclusions about felting- which is actually "fulling" since the sweaters are already knit...

1. It's sadistic- taking a perfectly good sweater and "ruining"it.
2. It's rebellious- blatantly ignoring the label and not only not "drycleaning only", but plunking the sweater into hot water, using harsh dishwashing soap- no mild detergent, throwing in a couple pair of jeans, and then tossing the sweater into the hottest dryer possible. Goes against all the laws of good laundering.
3. It's masochistic- you're the one who has to pay for a new washer.
4. It's a whole lot of fun! If you leave out the "little" worry of ruining your washer machine.

So... I was amazed at how much the sweaters shrunk up- the purple one is in the washer now. Oh I know, it's dreadful isn't it? But now that I know Bill can fix it... oh this is terrible. But I just can't seem to be able to stop myself... point #5... It's addictive. You never know what you're gonna get. I am saving the red sweater for a laundry mat and that is what I suggest for all you out there who don't have such an indulgent, sweet-tempered, handy man in your lives.

Dan's Feast...

Daniel is 15 and he's a classic. He likes classic cars from the 50's, football, and is an avid outdoorsman. He has the heart of a knight... always looking for the right thing to do and is singularly focused on doing it. He's always been that way. (I remember when he was 7 and a neighbor's little boy came into our yard - we lived in town then, and even though Daniel was younger and smaller, he told the boy to go back to his own yard and not to come back until he had decided to stop with the potty mouth!) As you can see, Daniel's feast was a fast food restaurant... We made up the menu and hung it in the living room- he set up a couple walkie-talkies and the children made their selections. Daniel made lots of static-y sounds and asked for them to repeat their orders- "You want grapes on your cheeseburger?" Then they "pulled up to the second window"- the door of the kitchen! where he had their meals all sacked and ready to take to the table! He had goofy little gifts in their meal bags and the kids had such a blast placing their orders. (The Joe Jr. burger is a joke- to tease his older brother. Joe has had some tummy problems and so we decided to joke about it- sometimes you gotta make light of things that worry you a little bit- Joe loved it and ordered 6 Joe Jr. Burgers!) Daniel put red and green streamers across the ceiling- very fast-foodish! The dessert was apple crisp and vanilla icecream. See? A classic. We all had a great time at a very original feast.