2020 Ornaments

 

Stunning news! Our 2020 ornaments are fully finished and hanging on the tree... and it's not even Christmas yet! 

This is Mr. Wonderful's choice from the 2020 issue of Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments magazine. Info on my changes to this design and the fabric I used in this post.

My choice from the magazine, to commemorate our autumn trip to South Dakota. The braided leather trim can be found in the jewelry making/leather working section of Hobby Lobby. The little rusty metal stars are from a garland I got there a couple of years ago.

Somehow, my 2019 ornament didn't get finished last year, so here's my choice from the 2019 issue of the magazine. I didn't change any colors but I did stitch the entire ornament with DMC Etoile. It really sparkles.

My dad is making good progress in the acute care rehab center he is in currently and is expected to move to a regular rehab facility later this week. Thank you so much for all your kind words and prayers. What a blessing they are.

Bonus Christmas cheer! 

Monday evening, 21 December, just after sunset. Do Not Miss This: The Great Conjunction

Merry Christmouse: Twas the Night Before Christmas

 

Welcome to the final day of my Christmas Open House! My last project is one I've wanted to do for many years and just never got around to, but it was the first project I thought of when I decided on my Merry Christmouse theme. I knew I had to stitch this gorgeous set. These designs are by Crossed Wing Collection and are in the 1998 and 1999 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament special issues. The mouse is in the '98 issue and the owl is in the '99 issue. 

Not a Creature Was Stirring is stitched on 28 ct. Dusty Green/Olive Jobelan and framed in an Olive green 6x6 frame from Mill Hill.

Not Even a Mouse is stitched on 28 ct. Denim Blue Jobelan and framed in a Navy blue 6x6 frame from Mill Hill.

I considered stitching this pair on different counts to make them closer to each other in size, but decided I wanted the size of the stitches and the look of the fabric to match rather than the overall size of the design. Once I got them stitched, I also decided I like the size contrast: the delicate little mouse stitched over one, with over one lettering, next to that big, bold owl. I just love this pair of designs.

That brings us to the end of another Christmas Open House, but don't despair, there's more Christmas stitching and cheer to come, so drop in any time and see what I'm up to. We are doing Christmas, y'all. 

Thank you so much for spending the week with me, and thank you for all your very kind comments. I look forward to this every year, and it's so lovely to know that so many of you look forward to it as well. From our house to yours, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

PS: Theme for 8th annual Christmas Open House is already decided!

Merry Christmouse: The Magic of Christmas

These very sweet little mouse friends are from the book The Magic of Christmas to Cross Stitch by Veronique Enginger. I loved the toadstool in this--unusual for a Christmas design--and just happened to stumble upon a toadstool ornament at Hobby Lobby to compliment it!

On Monday I shared my mom's recipe for spiced nuts, which has very Christmas-y flavors, and today I'm sharing another spiced nuts recipe, but this one has some heat. Mr. Wonderful loves it.

Spicy Buttered Nuts

3 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. chipotle chili powder  

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 c. EACH whole pecans, whole cashews, whole almonds   

Melt butter in large saucepan; add nuts and stir to coat. Mix spices and add to nuts; stir to coat well. Spread nuts on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 300 for about 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool completely.                                                                                                                                 

 Tomorrow is the final day of my Christmas Open House. You'll want to see my last project!

Merry Christmouse: Plum Pudding

 

Day three of Merry Christmouse and we're in the kitchen with Plum Pudding by Plum Street Samplers. Finished on a plain whitewashed hanging board from Hobby Lobby.

It's cookie time! I have a recipe for you that starts with a mix and goes together in a snap if you need a quick batch of cookies! You don't even need a mixer!

Cranberry Orange Pecan Sandies

1 package (15.6 oz) cranberry orange quick bread mix (I used Krusteaz brand, 18.6 oz)

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 egg

2 Tbsp. orange juice

3/4 c. chopped pecans

pecan halves 

Glaze: 1/2 c. confectioners sugar and a few teaspoons orange juice

Stir together bread mix, butter, egg, and orange juice. Add chopped pecans and stir well. Roll into 1 1/2" balls and place 2" apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass and lightly press a pecan half onto each cookie. Bake at 350 for about 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute before removing to a rack. When completely cool, drizzle with glaze. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Bonus tip: Whenever a recipe calls for you to flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass, use a small square of parchment paper to keep the cookies from sticking to the glass. Place the paper on the cookie, lightly mash with a small glass, effortlessly remove the paper from the cookie and congratulate yourself on being so smart. Perfectly mushed cookies every time.

*****

More tomorrow!

Merry Christmouse: At Home for Christmas

Welcome back to day two of my Christmas Open House! Today we have the beautifully detailed At Home for Christmas from Blackberry Lane Designs. 

This adorable little guy is stitched on 28 ct. Simply Sage by Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. I used the recommended DMC.

Today's recipe is a fun, can't-leave-it-alone snack that makes a bunch so it's perfect for a large family or a party. Very munchy.

Savory Goldfish

3 (6 oz.) packages cheddar cheese Goldfish crackers

1 package Ranch dressing mix

1 tsp. dried dill

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. lemon pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 c. vegetable oil

Toss crackers in spices and oil until well-coated and bake at 250 for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

See y'all tomorrow!

Merry Christmouse: Gingerbread Reindeer and Crystal Snowlady Mice

Welcome, welcome, welcome to my seventh annual Christmas Open House! Y'all didn't think we were gonna skip it this year, did you? No way. It has been a really tough year for everyone and we need all the Christmas cheer we can get. As always, I hope this blog is a place of calmness, joy, and creativity for you, as it is for me, and I couldn't think of skipping this little Christmas tradition. So settle in for a week of "Merry Christmouse!" celebrating the smallest critter in our Christmas traditions: the Christmas mouse. 

When I thought of this theme last year, I began to wonder, "Why mice?" Why are mice so closely associated with Christmas? I assumed it was due to the famous poem, "The Night Before Christmas" and perhaps also The Nutcracker. I didn't discover any information to contradict that theory, or any other explanation (if you know of one, please share!). But cute little mice are everywhere at Christmas and are very well represented in Christmas stitching. 

If you're familiar with my Open House, you know that I share recipes every year. This year, since we're celebrating the Christmas mouse, I'm sharing quick, easy, snack recipes for holiday nibbling. Because next to stitching, nibbling is one of the best things about Christmas. So let's get going! The sewing room and the kitchen are open!

This is Just Nan's Gingerbread Reindeer mouse and Crystal Snowlady mouse. There are oodles of these mice for all seasons and occasions. They're quick to stitch and not too difficult to finish, even if you're not super experienced with hand sewing.  And as you can see, they turn out awfully cute!

I stitched both of these mice as instructed, but I did use opalescent linen for my Crystal Snowlady mouse because the sparklier the better. 

*****

Today's recipe is one from my childhood: my mom's Spiced Nuts. Spiced nut mixes are a Christmas tradition and this is the mix she always made during the holidays.

Spiced Nuts

3/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 egg white

2 Tbsp. water

1 1/2 c. walnut halves

1 1/2 c. pecan halves

Sift sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg white and water slightly. Add nuts to the egg white mixture and stir until well-coated. Remove nuts from egg white mixture and drain well. Toss nuts in sugar mixture until well-coated. Spread nuts in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake about 40 minutes at 250 degrees or until crusty. Cool completely. 

*****

Come on back tomorrow for more Christmas mice and more delicious nibbles!

It's Coming...

 Mark your calendars for my 7th annual Christmas Open House, starting Monday, 14 December!

Catch up on (or revisit!) previous years' Open Houses by clicking the tabs at the top of this page!

Six Nice Things

Hey, y'all. How's everybody doing? I think we're better here, but more on that at the end of the post in case you prefer to skip it. I want this to be a stress-free and pleasant place for everyone, but some have very kindly asked after my dad and I'd like to provide an update.

Speaking of pleasantness, I have some nice things for y'all... Ready?

1) It is about to get seriously Christmasy on this blog. The sewing room is tidy, the finishes box is out, and I am in a finishing zone. First in line: our 2020 Christmas ornaments, and my 2019 ornament (how did that get left unfinished?!). And so much more! Will I get it all done? Stay tuned to find out!

2) Super cool fabric. In a moment of madness, I started a sort of large-ish Christmas project even though I already have plenty to stitch (and do!) two and a half weeks before Christmas. Because I wanted to use this fabric. Makes sense. This is Whitewashed Board from Fabric Flair available here. I believe it's also available in 32 ct. and 14 ct. Aida. I can't wait to show y'all this project!

Overseeing my work.

My other project, on a delicious mint green fabric (one whole row of progress before I started the one above!).

3) Freebies. There are a couple of "freebies-in-progress" at the moment and you may want to check them out.

With thy Needle & Thread is running a free SAL called Merry & Minty. It's a four part SAL on her Facebook page, but you do not have to have an account to access the charts. 

And there's a 12 Days of Christmas freebie series ongoing. It has a basic color scheme that would be easy and fun to customize.

4) Comfort food. One of my favorite comfort foods is my mom's spaghetti (below), but I also looove chicken spaghetti. This is the recipe I use, although I bake chicken breasts to use in it instead of boiling a whole chicken. It's delicious and it makes a ton. I could eat the whole dish by myself. (But my mom's is still my favorite.)

5) Cinnamon Cake. If you're watching carbs, I just came up with a cinnamon variation on my standby Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake recipe. Simply add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and swap cinnamon chips for chocolate chips and ta-da! Sort of like a mini, lower carb coffee cake. Mr. Wonderful says he likes it even better than the chocolate chip.

6) The top of Tiger Lily's head. So smoochable. 

Hope one of today's goodies has taken your fancy and brightened your day! Have a good one!

Update:

My dad was finally able to move out of the hospital to a (different) rehab center this past Monday. We are much more comfortable with this new facility than the one he went to initially, but he still has a long road ahead. He went into the hospital, strong and healthy, on 30 October for a serious but not uncommon surgery that should have required only an overnight stay. And here we are nearly six weeks later. It has been nightmarish, but the Lord has blessed us in so many ways over these difficult weeks. I so appreciate your kind words and your prayers. Y'all are one of my blessings. Thank you.

Christmas in the Sewing Room

 

(Unfinished oval Santa design is Jingle All the Way by With Thy Needle and Thread)