Christmas Open House, Day 6

Hi, y'all! Christmas is a week from today... where has this year gone?! When I got the Christmas decorations put up, Mr. Wonderful said, "It feels like we just did this." I said, "We did." It's been a challenging year at our house, with some family members dealing with some serious health issues, and I've even had one of my own (though not serious, thankfully). I'm sure a lot of you can relate to that. As stressful as it has been, I was determined to enjoy Christmas. That's part of the motivation for me opening my Christmas home to y'all. To spread a little joy, a little stitching inspiration, a little good food. As stitchers, we know how much pleasure can be had from very simple things... a pretty freebie, a few new skeins of DMC in our favorite colors, a fresh cookie, a snowy day, a finish... It's the little things that get us through the big things. Whatever your year has been like, whatever is going on right now, I hope that by spending a few minutes here, you've been able to enjoy the Christmas season, even if just a little bit. And now... ornies!

2010, his. For some reason, the background on this one has always reminded me of a creamy, swirly coffee drink. Yes, I often think with my stomach:

Mine. If you've followed this blog for a while, you know about my Button Up Birdies obsession. This is the one that started it all. I think I have two left to stitch:

2011, his. I was surprised when he picked this one. Usually I know when I flip through the magazine which ornament he will pick, but not this year:

Mine. We endured a deployment in 2011, and this ornament is always bittersweet to me. I chose it because of the colors--red, silver, blue--and because the swirls reminded me of waves, of the thousands of miles of ocean that separated us. Even still, it's one of my favorites:

*sniff* We're gettin' a little mushy around here, aren't we? How about some food? Yesterday I posted our Christmas brunch menu, and today it's time for taters. This is the only part of the menu that has to be done the day of, but it's easy so it's no problem. I could eat these like candy.

Spicy Country Potatoes

5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces (leave the skin on!)
1 medium onion, chopped (I wear Mr. Wonderful's combat goggles for this)
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 c. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Toss potatoes and onions in oil; add seasonings and toss to coat. Bake about 35 minutes, stirring a little every 10 minutes or so.

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Today's freebie is a nod to my obsession with all things candy cane. If Halloween/autumn is Pumpkin Spice Everything Season, and Thanksgiving is Cranberry Everything Season, then Christmas is Candy Cane Everything Season. Candy Cane cocoa (I'm hoarding it), candy cane Chapstick (Mr. Wonderful's favorite), candy cane coffee, candy cane tea, and on and on and on. It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's Candy Cane Everything Season.

Merry Christmas, y'all!