A Wish For The New Year!

Well, somehow, without me realising quite when it happened, I find myself at that end of the year where we sing "Auld Lang Syn", think kindly of the past year (or tell it not to let the door hit it in the ... er ... butt... on it's way out! Hey Kerryanne!), think of good friends past and present and look forward to the coming New Year that is still shiny with promise and potential. I could go one and on (and Chookyblue tells me I do sometimes! Tee! Hee! Hee!), but in this case, I won't. Instead, I'd like to share a wish for the new year with all my blogging buddies.

"May God grant you always ...
... A sunbeam to warm you ...
... A moonbeam to charm you ...
... A sheltering angel so nothing can harm you ...
... Laughter to cheer you ...
... Faithful friends near you; and whenever you pray ...
... Heaven to hear you."

(Traditional Irish Blessing)

I wish you all a New Year full of health, happiness, friends, fun, laughter, love and LOTS of wonderful new adventures in 2009. Til next time - Bear Hugs!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

CHEERS!
KRIS

SSCS Thanks!

Now I know you won't believe me, but this will just be a quick post with some thank you's as my parents are still here for a visit and not much time to blog. Stina and I made a pact not to open our parcels til Christmas ... I think there needs to be a support group formed along the lines of AA ... POA ... Parcel Openers Anonymous! Tee! Hee! Hee! But we did good and when I finally got to open my parcel from my swap buddie Karen, I found ...


Pretty tissue wrapped pressies! And under all the pretty tissue was ...


Wowsers! There's a bear in there!! And one that cannot be ignored!! What a bright, funky new bearbie Karen has made for me! And look at those socks - I'm going to enjoy brightening things up come winter when I wear these socks to keep my toesies warm! And then there's the cute little Christmas bell ornament shaped like a snowman (sitting on the bear's left leg) and those choccies - MMMMMMMM!! Now you know I'm not usually a chocolate girl, I'm a caramel girl, but these were SOOOOOOOOOO yummy! White eggnog flavoured choc and white choc with candy cane chips! And not forgetting the cute little mushroom-like pin cushion there! Thank you so much Karen, I feel very spoilt!!

And I can now show you a photo of what I sent off to my SSCS partner who was none other than Cheryl at Polka Dots and Rick Rack. She received ...


Being a bit of a dotty spotty fan myself, I had fun looking for dotty things to send Cheryl. I also decided to step outside my comfort zone a little and do some simple pinwheel patchwork - remember seeing these a while ago? Now you know what I was making with them. And of course I couldn't NOT include a bear somewhere, so a needle turn teddy in a heart was applique`d in place - oh and some rick rack of course!! Plus some fun bits - mini sewing kit, fun sticky notes, cute little sharpie pens, a scented sachet featuring a vintage Santa picture, a dotty mouse pin cushion, some dotty ribbons and one of those gorgeous tea spoons I found with the pretty petite cakes on the end. Hope Cheryl is enjoying her goodies! The bag ended up being quite large in the end - all the better to visit the local patchwork fabric store with says I! Tee! Hee! Hee! A huge thank you to Swap Mama Chookyblue for all of her work behind the scenes co-ordinating swap partners, chasing up and reminding us all along the way, offering photos of past goodies as inspiration and sending gifties to some swap participants whose partners had to pull out for some reason - I don't think anyone else organises a swap quite as well as you, Chookyblue - WELL DONE!

And now (despite skepticism from some of you who know me that I could keep this post fairly short!!) I shall sign off and go find out what everyone is up to. I think I've been busier this week with Mum here than I usually am!! They live in a small town, so when they hit the 'big smoke' of Toowoomba, there's usually a long list of shopping to do, people to visit, things to do - it's a tough job, but I'm a wonderful daughter, so I shall make the sacrifice to go shopping, have coffees and be a social butterfly for my Mum! Tee! Hee! Hee! Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Christmas Eve In The Lounge Room!

'Twas Christmas Eve in the lounge room & not a creature was stirring there,
But for a small flickering candle, & one tiny teddy bear.
Amidst all the glitter & baubles, the Santas that spread round the room,
Instead of good cheer, joy & laughter, these two seemed quite sunk in gloom.
The teddy bear said to the candle, "I'm tiny & oft overlooked,
Not like the angels & Santas or the folk art that's made from a book.



I'm not pretty & covered in glitter, or perched in the Christmas tree,
I'm stuck sitting here up in a corner, where no one will even see."
The candle just sniffed in a disgruntled way & the small flame gave a flick,
"You think you've got problems, what about me? I'm so small it just makes me sick!
What use is a candle that can't burn out bright, as bright as a star in the sky,



I'm little & plain & my light is so weak, I think I'll just sit here & cry."
So there they both sat, the miserable pair, in the corner on Christmas Eve night,
When a soft voice came drifting from somewhere nearby, "Together, you share love & light."
They looked up startled at the source of the voice - it was Mary in the manger scene.
Her face glowed warmly & they stared in surprise as her smile turned to them, so serene.



"Look here at the stable where my baby was born, the baby who would be the King,
It's old & it's draughty, not even ours, yet what happened here made angels sing.
This one tiny baby was God's gift to the world on that very first Christmas night,
And God promised His Son, born in humble surrounds, would grow up to spread love & light.
One little baby changed the course of the world, so don't be distracted by size.
For you, little candle, still shed light in the dark to show where the homefire lies,
And you, tiny bear, with your arms held wide, offer love to the people you see.
It's not about size, or importance you see, but being who YOU'RE meant to be.
One little flame, one ray of light, can spread hope when there's none to be found,
And one little hug can show someone alone they are cared for & love's still around."
The candle stood straighter, flame flickering high, a wonderful, heartwarming sight.
"I may only be little, but if I stand up tall, more people can see by my light."
The teddy bear's smile had emerged once again & his arms were open wide,
"I'll share lots of love, lots of smiles, lots of hugs with those drawn by your light to our side."
'Twas Christmas Eve in the lounge room, not a soul was stirring there,
But a brightly shining candle, & a smiling teddy bear!



Happy Christmas to all my bloggy buddies. May the Reason for the Season bless you with health, happiness, family, friends, laughter and love during this special time. Til next time - Christmas Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Edible Christmas Balls!!

I don't know about you, but for me there are some foods that you only seem to make/eat at Christmas time and that it doesn't quite seem like Christmas without. In our family, that means Grandma's Meatloaf (no, not the same one that gets trotted out every year!! Her RECIPE!!)and apricot balls. I know most people think of rum balls for Christmas, but none of us are overly fond of rum (and who wants to risk the breathalyser just by having a little snack!) so we make apricot balls. They're sooooooo easy to make, involve no cooking and only a little mess.

Into a mixing bowl, put one packet of chopped apricots (they even come already chopped in packets, these days - no sticky knife and fingers!!) one can of sweet condensed milk and about two and a half cups of desiccated coconut (if the mix seems a bit sloppy, just add more coconut!). Mix it all around until well combined.


Here's one I prepared earlier! Tee! Hee! Hee! Actually, the odd angle is courtesy of my beloved Geek Boy who took the photo cos my hands were covered in apricot ball mix! Hmmm ... not sure whether he's tried one of those rum balls or if he was being artistic!!

There's no non-messy way to do the next step, really. Take about a teaspoonful of the apricot ball mix and roll it between your palms (make sure you wash your hands first, of course - hey Linda!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) then pop the balls into a bowl of loose desiccated coconut, roll them around til they're well coated. Spread them on a lined baking tray (unless you're particularly fond of washing up!)


(Hmmm ... fuzzy photo. Perhaps I too have eaten one of those rum balls!! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Once the tray is full of neat little balls of yumminess, pop them into the fridge until they are firm (I usually make sure it's at least overnight) then pop them into a pretty bowl and serve with a hot cuppa and a smile.


See? Easy peasy Christmas yummies! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. What yummies do you eat only at Christmas time??

Hmmm ... now I have to go and clean up the kitchen ... how on EARTH did I get desiccated coconut up THERE?!?!?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Lazy, Laid-Back Lunches!

Yessiree ... I'm starting to get into this holiday mode! (even though I'm not actually on holidays til next Wednesday!!) You see, having finalised all the gifties, I feel I can kick back and take things a little slower and this week I've enjoyed catching up with a couple of friends to help me do that.

Firstly, I caught up with Bek on Wednesday when I met her and her kids for lunch at the Chocolate Cottage coffee shop on the Village Green at Highfields. We had a lovely, lazy lunch, sitting at a table under a big shady tree and enjoying the view down into the Lockyer Valley. Ah ... this is the life!! And Bek spoiled me with a sweet little Christmas giftie. I know Stina and I made a pact about not opening any more gifties before Christmas, but Bek's kids said I could open this one, so that doesn't count!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :0)


Aren't these just the sweetest!! I LOOOOOOVE gingerbread men almost as much as I love bears ... and cupcakes ... and birdhouses ... and ...!! The little scented sachet is going into my quilting stash to make all my fabrics smell pretty. The other two pretties will find a home in the lounge room where I can enjoy them. Thanks Bek for a very enjoyable lunch and for my sweet gifties.

So ... that was on Wednesday. Yesterday I found myself again heading for the Village Green for a pre-Christmas catch-up. Have I mentioned I know far too many people and how there's always a rush to catch up before Christmas? Next year I'm going to make a visiting schedule to spread out the catch up lunches throughout the year so it's NOT a rush at Christmas! Can you imagine the look on someone's face when I call in February to say, "Hey, wanna catch up for lunch and beat the Christmas rush?" Tee! Hee! Hee! They'll think I'm crazier than they already think I am! Now, where was I ... Oh yes, at lunch AGAIN!! This time, I caught up with my friend Robyn. We had yet another lovely, laid-back lunch, chatting and enjoying the view from the Chocolate Cottage's back verandah this time, gazing down over the Valley. You really all should come and visit me to check out the view ... once we make a visiting schedule of course! Tee! Hee! Hee!

So ... after lunch Robyn and I felt OBLIGED to visit all the shops on the Village Green. Rob stocked up on her fave hand-made soaps from Herbal Harmonies, before we trundled over to see Marian at Quilters' Angel. Uh oh! Did you just hear my beloved Geek Boy groan?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Oh yes, something came home with me in one of THOSE pink bags ...


The blue is backing fabric for one of the quilts I'm going to make myself during my 'rest' month of January, the green was on special and ... well ... it's GREEN!! Say no more! :0) and the little bundle in the centre was a lovely Christmas give-away from Marian - how nice is that girl!! And while it's not my usual style, I have a couple of ideas in mind to make gifties!! So ... all in all ... another restful, relaxing, lazy, laid-back lunch with a good friend. Yep! That's the way you're SUPPOSED to get ready for Christmas, I reckon!!

And speaking of gifties ... I got in trouble from Deb for not posting a photo of the goodies she sent to GB and I. I didn't unwrap these, Stina - they came unwrapped!! Tee! Hee! Hee!


She sent us each an 'Emergency' kit. GB's was a brekkie kit for the mornings he's late running out the door. There's a toast decorator thingy, a bowl of cereal-to-go, a mug that made us laugh cos it has that message everyone who uses a computer knows so well and hates: "Thinking .... please wait" and some coffee bags for his first caffeine jolt of the day. And she sent me a stitchers emergency kit for when I'm rushing to someone's place to stitch and haven't had time to get my 'bits' together. It includes a clever thread catcher/pin cushion that has a (heavy!) weight in it to balance on a chair arm, plus a kit for a lavender cross-stitch bookmark (I looooove lavender!) and a handful of herbal teas. Hmmmm is she telling me I'm already too jazzed and I need to calm down with caffeine free tea?!?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Thanks Deb! I'm sure they'll be put to good use.

Now ... a couple of photos to finish before I go and hang the washing. Last post, I forgot to show you all my complete set (so far!) of Lynette's Noah's Ark BOM blocks. Here it is ...


I'm really happy with how they all look together. Can't wait to have them all done so I can work out how I'll put them all together. I'll probably add some borders at least to make it a bit bigger to be a knee rug size. Will wait til all the blocks are done before deciding! Thanks again Lynette for this wonderful BOM!

And the last photo is of our Advent Calendar.


This is one of my earliest stitchery pattern designs and still one of my favourite. Hey Stina ... this is you and me!! Tee! Hee! Hee! We can 'bearly' wait for Christmas!! :0) Actually, I think we have a lot of company in that regard! The little pockets around this stitchery have the countdown numbers stitched on them and are just the right size to put small candy canes, little chocolates or wrapped lollies like minties, but I didn't get around to filling them this year - oops! Mind you, I think we have enough Christmas lollies and goodies to keep us happy!!

Well, I think that's it from me today. OH! WAIT!! HOLD THE PRESSES!!! Forgot to tell you something REALLY important!! If you haven't already found it, May Britt has designed a gorgeous little Christmas heart stitchery pattern that she is offering to her blog visitors as a Christmas giftie. Just pop over to her blog and hit the download button. Thanks May Britt! It's already on my list of things to do for Christmas NEXT year!! EEEK! If that list has already started before THIS Christmas, what's it going to look like by the time next Christmas gets here!! Aaaaaaaarrrrgghhh!! So ... before I have my anticipatory nervous breakdown ... I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Til next time - Bear Hugs!

CHEERS!
KRIS