Peace, love, joy, and good health.....

May the blessings of peace, love, joy, and good health be with all of you now and in the upcoming new year.  (This is a photo of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lewes, Delaware, taken last winter during a pretty rare severe snow in this area.  It is where I will joyfully participate in the music for two services this Christmas Eve.)

Ahhhh......smooth hands and feet!!!

There was a post about homemade hand cream recently by online friend and quilting blogger (Judy Laquidara.....check out her blog by clicking on her name...she has another book coming out....with LOTS of great borders!!!!)  She said to get 16 ozs. of baby lotion, 8 ozs. of vitamin E cream, and 8 ozs. of vaseline....and it could be store brands (which cost about $1 for each of them).  You then mix it all up together and get a very nice product.  The picture here shows what I bought.  I got baby lotion with cocoa and shea butter and I think it made mine a tiny bit greasy, but......after a few minutes, that absorbed into my skin and it feels WONDERFUL!  (Next time, I'll get regular baby lotion.)  For now, I just need a teensy-tiny bit and it goes a long way.  For $3.50, I got solidly-packed nice-sized Rubbermaid container of cream that will last me awhile.  I think I will start collecting fun jars and then make some for gifts!  Thanks, Judy....for the great idea and for the nice soft, skin I have after using this!   (Be sure to see the second photo below, too.)

 

My previous post showed my daughter's and granddaughter's reactions to the quilts I made them for Christmas.  I knew I had a photo of my granddaughter sleeping that night with hers but was unable to find it.  I found it now and it is below.  She had to sleep on the pullout sofa in the living room that night as "her" room here was in use by someone else.  She wasn't too crazy about that, but we told her we'd leave the tree lights on for the tree in that room while she went to sleep, so she took her new teddy bear and her new quilt and went very happily to bed looking at the lights on that tree.  I snapped this photo a short time later when she was fast asleep and all wrapped up in her "Snack Attack" quilt!!!   (She told me last night on the phone that the quilt is keeping her very cozy...which melted my heart, of course!)

They loved their quilts.....

Last week we celebrated Christmas with Tara and Jessi.  They loved the quilts I made for them.  Here are a couple of photos showing their reactions....Tara with her quilt (named: "I Just Want Salad"...her usual choice at a restaurant!)

 And Jessi after opening "Snack Attack"  (popcorn, pretzels and cheese fish on main side with added donuts ice cream cones and cupcakes on reverse side).  She slept with it that night here....and when I find the picture of that, I'll post it here soon!    

Need ideas.......

What is your very best "company" main-dish casserole?  Not fond of mushrooms or many seafoods, so would prefer something else.  I'd love to hear some of your ideas (and a link to the recipe or a description of it in your comment)!   I'll be back here in a day or two with a regular post with photos.

Secret Santa package......

I was at the grocery store this morning and when I returned, my husband said there was a package for me and he'd put it on my computer chair.  SO....I raced down the hall to see it.  This is what I saw....

....a box.....a nice-sized box...with MY name on it.  I was trying to decide if I'd open its contents now or wait until Christmas.  I decided to take a peek inside the box...and was still undecided if I'd open what was in there.  Luckily for me, I didn't have to decide as the items were not wrapped, so I got to see them now!!!  Yippee!!! Here is what I saw in that box when I opened it.........

......OH, MY.....lots of good stuff in here....so I took it all out and lined it up nicely for you to see........

....and here is what was in there.......2 bags of Hershey kisses (YUMMMM)......a nice caramel pecan scented candle jar.......17 (yes...I said SEVENTEEN) fat quarters of fabric.......a package of Timeless Treasures printable fabric (YAY for that.....I am trying to make labels for all my quilts and really need that!!!)......AND the cutest Christmas ornament you ever saw because (as you can probably see) it says "Eat More Candy!"   That sure gets MY vote!!!    Thanks, Secret Santa.......I love it all!!!  The box did have a first and last name on the return address, so I now have to go through the blog list on the SSS post Suzanne made and see if anyone there has that name.  I know sometimes folks don't put their names on their blogs OR my SS might have had a friend put HER name on the return address instead, so it might not be easy to find her.  I will set aside time late tonight or at some point tomorrow to put on my detective hat and try to figure out who this is so I can go to her blog and thank her.  And...thanks, Suzanne, for putting this together!  It was a lot of fun.

Any ideas???

I happen to follow a couple hundred quilting/crafting blogs.  However....just now when I logged onto my blog to read the updates of the blogs I follow, stupid Blogger is telling me that I do not follow ANY blogs!  What is up with that??? Anyone have any ideas as to why this happens and if it will correct itself at some point? 

Trying to catch up....

Gosh...I have so many photos I've taken over the past several weeks with all good intentions of posting, but time just gets away from me. So....I'll try to put a few photos at a time here. They probably won't be in chronological order, but.....I don't think that matters much.

First, we have one of my feet wearing the very comfy and attractive socks made for me by Margi......I've talked about this in a few posts...how she rescued me and made the socks for me after I failed at my attempt to do them.  I love them!!! Thanks, again, Margi!

Next we have a closeup of an absolutely gorgeous poinsettia plant I got yesterday.  It was given to me by my quilty friend (and blogging buddy), Michelle.  She and her hubby came to visit my husband and me.  Michelle and I had some fun time with the GO! cutter as she cut out some HST's for a project she'll be starting soon. The hubbies talked...and then we all went out for a supper at a nice Italian place we like in downtown Rehoboth Beach....Nicola's.  Then...it was home so they could see my husband's Christmas light display where the lights twinkle in time to music that you tune on your car radio.  (Sorry I don't have pictures of it, but...trust me...it's a very nice light display.)    We all had a very nice day!  This last picture below shows part of my tumbler quilt (did a close-up in hopes you could see the nice quilting on it).  Michelle quilted it for me on her long-arm and brought it back to me yesterday.  She does such nice work.  Today I went and chose binding for it. Well...actually, I let my friend, Sherry, who works a the LQS and is excellent with color choice, do the choosing for me.  She chose something I'd never have picked, but it's a fun fabric and will look great when it's done!  (I'll take another picture at that time.)  OH...and great news.......the young gal in our family who is in the Air Force and was in Iraq has come HOME safe and sound...and just in time for Christmas!!!  We are truly blessed!