Surprise package!

I received a wonderful surprise package today from a sweet friend, Trish Ladybug.
 Trish used to have a wonderful blog, but doesn't anymore, we met through blogging
and have remained friends.
 Trish sent so many wonderful goodies, a lamp,a beautiful pinkeep,  a crow, Christmas ornaments, some
fabric, and even a gift for my husband. I feel like Santa stopped by my house again.
Thank you Trish for your wonderful surprise, I love everything and will think of you
and our friendship whenever I look at my wonderful goodies! Now the fun of finding
special places for all of my goodies!!!

Gerald arrived today and Christmas cookies.

Wendy "Ravenwood Whimzies" had a 12 days of Christmas countdown with a giveaway.
If you haven't looked at her blog please go there for wonderful tutorials and some wonderful
recipes. At the end of the countdown she had a giveaway and I was the lucky winner.
Wendy is a wonderful lady and crafter. I love snowmen because you can leave them out all Winter.
Gerald is just adorable, thank you Wendy, I love him!!!

Today was such a wonderful day, I love baking Christmas cookies and listening to Christmas carols while I am baking the cookies. Of course I am singing along and eating part of the cookie dough,
I know we aren't supposed too, but it is so good.

I will share photo's of the cookies that I made,
Maybe next year I can also give the recipes for these cookies. I like to use real butter in my cookies, I think it gives them a wonderful flavor. And the chocolate chip recipe is on the toll house chocolate chip bag. It calls for 2 sticks of butter, I use 1 1/2 sticks of butter, I don't like a flat cookie and I think 2 sticks of butter makes them too flat.

Snowballs, I always make them for my dad

Noel bars, one of my husbands favorite

No bake cookies, I learned to make them in 7th. grade

toll house chocolate chip cookies

Wonderful Surprise in the Mail!

Yesterday I went to the mailbox to get my mail and on my porch I spotted a package,
I thought humm who could that be from.
What a wonderful surprise, when I saw it was from Wendy "Ravenwood Whimzies"
 I opened the package like a little kid on Christmas morning. She got me a beautiful sifter,
she must have spotted my collection in a picture. And by the way I didn't have the sifter she
sent me. And a wonderful bar of peppermint goats milk soap, It smells wonderful.
 I will be so proud to display my sifter and love how the goats mild soap is making my bathroom smell, can't wait to use it.
 Thank you Wendy, that was so sweet, I will think of you whenever I see my sifter and use my soap.

I love how Wendy wrapped the gift.

Beautful sifter and yummy soap.

I haven't been very creative lately, but I did manage to make an Amish snow girl,
that I gave away for a gift and a standing snowman. I haven't decided but may just
keep him for myself. I don't know if other crafters are like me or not, but I rarely keep
anything that I make for myself. Now I need to concentrate on baking and getting ready for Christmas. I have a Christmas "Chicken Soup for the Soul", book I love reading it the month of Dec.
so many of the stories concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas.
Wishing you all a beautiful week.

First Annual Cookie Bake and Pajama Party!

This past weekend my sisters, two of my nieces, my friend Shelia and myself went to our farmhouse in WV for
a girls weekend. We watched Christmas movies, baked cookies, went out to eat and just laughed and had a wonderful time. I will share some photo's. I knew Stephanie couldn't come because she wasn't feeling well, she thought she had the flu like my grandson. She wasn't aware that the tubing at her site for her insulin pump had become occluded. She became deathly sick and was admitted to the hospital for a 3 day stay. She made my SIL and her dad promise to not tell me because she didn't want our PJ party to be messed up. As much as I had fun, I would have rather been with my daughter. I am glad she is feeling alot better, and improving. Please pray for a cure for type 1 diabetics, it is a horrible disease, and the holidays can be hard with all of the Sweets around to tempt them.

Almost Heaven WV

My sister Lena and niece Hillary

My niece Emily and sister Annable

My friend Shelia

My sister Lina arriving

Oh Christmas tree, my $3 tree

The girls

Canned food from Lena's graden

Us girls in our PJ's

I love these girls!

Me and my sisters

Hillary and Lena

Annabel, Emily and Lina

Magic bars

cornflake and chocolate chip cookies

Monster cookies

Santa came to my house early!

I am so honored to have Jean "Prim Crafts" as my friend and neighbor. We actually met though
blogging and found out that we only live 8 miles apart. Jean and I had such a nice visit yesterday.
She came with a gift bag full of goodies. Jean has such a kind heart and is always willing to help me
with any crafting questions.
 I am just thrilled with everything that Jean brought me. One thing she made me was a punched needle wall hanging. Now I want to learn to do punched needle.
I admire Jean's talent and am proud to own some of her goodies. Most of all I am
blessed to have Jean for a friend!  Thank you Jean!!!

Jean's pattern, and she is all rag stuffed

Adorable snowman in a can

My very first punched needle wallhanging

Bo, my little Christmas dog.

Pinkeep I just finished, done on 18 count aida.

New pinkeep and some Christmas decor

I recently finished a pinkeep, I stitched on 18 count aida cloth. I don't think I will ever be able to stitch on linen.But am right proud of it.  I also have done some Christmas decorating and will share some photo's.
I enjoy the entire Christmas season, I celebrate all month. I enjoy the beautiful lights, baking cookies,
the excitement on childrens faces, listening to the ringing of the bell for the salvation army kettle,
the Christmas carols, the Christmas parties and Christmas plays at church, Christmas cards, looking for that perfect Christmas bargain, wrapping gifts, putting up my tree and looking at all of the
ornaments that have special memories for me. I could go on and on.
 Some of my favorite childhood memories was going Christmas caroling and taking the older folks
baskets of cookies, fruit and candy.Then we would have a party afterwards with hot chocolate and other Christmas goodies. My siblings and I would go out in the woods and find our Christmas tree, many times it would be a cedar tree.
Our church Christmas program, was always a high light.We would practice for weeks and weeks.  I also love watching Christmas movies,
especially, "It's a Wonderful Life", and "A Christmas Story". I have to watch these
two movies every year.  What are some of your favorite Christmas things to do or memories? Wishing everyone a joyous Christmas, with beautiful memories. Don't forget to remember the
true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.