Table Setting

Last weekend we hosted our church Christmas party. I wanted to do something pretty for the adults table, and it was all really simple. In general, I don't really like red for Christmas but I'm feeling a bit more traditional this year. I had a large piece of red and white gingham that I used as a tablecloth. A few white pointsettias from the grocery store worked for a centerpiece, and they were only $3 each! The plastic gold-colored pots were not working for me however, with a little bit of burlap tied with a piece of bakers twine, they looked really cute. White paper napkins with a subtle grey pattern worked well with the busy tablecloth, and cutlery, along with small-sized red party crackers finished off the table. I placed a blackberry IZZE at each setting for a bit more color (and yumminess).

Worth 1000 Words

Is this Christmas excitement, or what?

Baby Quilt

This is my first completely finished quilt (that is, I have 2 others that I have started but not finished yet). This one is 100%, don't-have-to-do-another-thing-to-it-finished. I started it last Wednesday and was absolutely determined to have it done by the end of the weekend. This was my first experience with mitered corners, machine quilting, and binding a quilt. With all of my friends that are having babies, I thought baby quilts are nice, manageable projects that give me an outlet for my huge fabric obsession. This one is 39X39 inches finished size, which could work as a play quilt or in a crib. I backed it with fleece, which I think is nice for a baby.

Seriously, I'm shocked at myself for finishing it, as those of you who know may know that I am good at starting projects, and not so good at the finishing part. This weekend was good for finishing projects.

Papa Bears

My hubby makes gingerbread bears every year at this time. They are made with a gingerbread recipe that is a family secret. This is his second batch so far this year, making around 10 dozen so far. They will all be gone by Christmas. Derek always uses the same cookie cutter, which is a squished bear. I tried, early in our marriage to go out and buy him a fatter, cuter, cookie cutter but he insisted on using this one that his Grandpa, or "Papa" as they called him, had always used. Now Derek gets requests from all of our family for some.

Our house smells really delicious.

Christmas Party

We had an ugly sweater contest at our Christmas party yesterday. These are my friends. I'm a bit embarrassed.

Surprise Birthday Brunch

My Mother-in-law, Susan's birthday was at the beginning of November. My sister-in-law, Brenda, and I decided to plan a surprise birthday brunch for her. Most of the planning happened one night shortly after we got home from Australia while I was still jet-lagged. My mom graciously opened up her home for hosting as both my mom and mother-in-law live about an hour from where we live.


With a pink and yellow theme, we decorated with bunting (some made and some borrowed, thanks, Rhonda) and the infamous Martha Stewart-style poufs. On the table, I decorated with flowers in large Mason jars. I picked out some gerbera daisies, as these are Susan's favorite flower. Favors were small jars of homemade lemon curd (so tart and yummy), with labels that Derek helped me design and print.



For the menu, we went with eggs benedict. I made Julia Child's blender hollandaise recipe (pretty easy, actually) and had Brie cheese, back bacon, mushroom and asparagus for toppings. I also had a greens salad with beets and pecans, and a pink and yellow fruit salad. Pink punch, coffee and tea rounded out the beverages. It was a great time, and I think everyone had fun. There were 9 or 10 of us in total. For dessert we had some pineapple upside-down cake, which was a new recipe for me to try. Looking back, trying a new recipe for a party wasn't the best idea, but it turned out delicious (even with me forgetting the white sugar).

Brand New Heather Bailey Fabric!

It's been a while since Heather Bailey has put out a new line of fabric and I'm totally excited about this one. Derek and I made a last minute trip to Minneapolis for business and, as we were driving to our second location, we drove right past Crafty Planet, and amazing fabric and yarn store in Minneapolis. It has a fantastic selection of fabrics from some of the really fun designers like Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry. They also have a great selection of home decor fabric. Even though they are in the US, we up north can still get in on the selection with their online store. On our way back after picking up Derek's work items, I stopped in to browse the fabrics. The first thing I saw when I walked in was this new fabric. Slightly more subdued than her last line, it still coordinates well with it. It has blues, yellows and greens with a bit of grey (love grey!) When I mentioned to the guy in the shop that I hadn't seen this one before he told me that it had just come in the day before! Isn't that cool? I think I'm going to make a small blanket out of it, and can't wait to get started!