Gift Ideas

Gift giving for me can sometimes be very challenging.  There are times I rack my pea brain gift shopping.  Regardless of the time of year, I am always on the search for "just the right gift."  While checking out at JoAnn's I found this Gooseberry Patch recipe book.  It is appropriately titled Our Favorite Christmas Recipes. 

Our Favorite Christmas Recipes measures 4 1/2" by 5 1/2" and is held together by a spiral.  There are recipes for appetizers, beverages, breads, cookies and candy, desserts and main dishes--geared for the holidays.  The recipes are easy to make and delicious.  For example:  Sweet Pumpkin Dip, Parmesan Crostini, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Hot Cocoa Nog, my mouth is watering. 

On the back side of each recipe is a decorating, serving, sharing idea. So, if you are like me and always on the search for the perfect gift, this is a great gift for those who love to cook and decorate for Christmas--great stocking stuffer or secret Santa gift. 

For the record--Jo Ann and Vickie, the Gooseberry Patch girls have never heard of me. 

Winner, Winner Orange-Glazed Pecans

Yes, there is a winner for the blog anniversary drawing.  Much to the dismay of Miss Callie Mae there is no chicken dinner.  I do have a delicious recipe of Orange-Glazed Pecans to share.

1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1/4 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons orange rind, grated
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 1/2 cups pecan halves

Mix all ingredients except pecans, and bring to a boil in a cast iron skillet.  Boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add pecans, coating them well with mixture.  Allow to cook in warm mixture for 1 minute.  

Pour onto waxed paper and let cool.  Separate into pieces and package with ribbon for a pretty presentation.

Wake up from your winter nap Callie Mae, it's time to choose a winner!

Pay attention and stop playing with those keys!

Since I can't keep Callie Mae on task, I asked AppleJack to choose a number and he choose number eight.  Congratulations #8 (Carmen), a package from Santa Thistle Manor will be coming your way.

The Candidates

I love finishing PhD's.  I especially love finishing PhD's when they have been in the workbasket a long time.  Finishing anything especially older PhD's becomes even sweeter when it an Adam and Eve.  Then the dilemma begins:  who is next?  The stitching world is filled with awesome, fabulous Adam and Eve samplers.  (Some people are thankful for turkey, others are thankful for Adam and Eve samplers--go figure).

Since I am determined to have an Adam and Eve wall of samplers and I am very late in joining the party, in the words of AppleJack "I am a woman on an Adam and Eve mission."  After I carried the La D Da Adam and Eve sampler to the framer I immediately pulled out my stash of (Adam and Eve) samplers and began to study them:  who is next?  Here is the list of potential candidates in no particular order:

• Isabella Fox by Gigi R
• Hallow Eden by Plum Street Sampler
• Adam and Eve by Carriage House
• Adam and Eve by the City Stitcher
• Adam and Eve by The Goode Huswife
• The Hart Lives by Scarlet Letter
• Jane Atkinson by the Scarlet Letter
• Elizabeth Short by Scarlet Letter

Suffice to say there are many, many, many more Adam and Eve samplers (yippee) in the stitching world, these are just the ones I have chosen as auditioning candidates.  Then the hard part/fun part begins: pros and cons of each one.

Isabella Fox is a lovely sampler.  I fell in love with Isabella when I first saw her on the Attic Needlework Newsletter.  She is versatile, she is both an Adam and Eve sampler and is stitched with both greens and reds and she doubles as a Christmas sampler.  She is stitched with Gentle Arts Sampler threads and since NPI silks are my fiber of choice, a fiber conversion is in order.

• Hallow Eden by Plum Street Sampler comes with a bonus:  two charts.  In addition to being an Adam and Eve, Paulette included an alternate chart for those in the mood for a more Halloween inspired Eden.  It has a black cat motif, it is hard to resist a black cat in a sampler especially when Miss Callie Mae is looking over my shoulder.  The samplers are stitched with Crescent fibers so another fiber conversion.
• Adam and Eve by Carriage House.  Adam and Eve are designed in that special Carriage House way.  the sampler is stitched on Onyx linen and I'm not sure I am ready to stitch on black linen.
• Adam and Eve by The City Stitcher.  The design for this sampler was released many years ago.  Is The City Stitcher still designing?  I hope so--her designs are awesome.
• Adam and Eve by The Goode Huswife.  This sampler has Queen stitches in the design and I am a Queen stitch novice.  Is there a special phobia name for those who fear the Queen stitch?
• The Hart Lives by the Scarlet Letter.  The red in the border of this sampler had me at hello.
• Jane Atkinson by the Scarlet Letter.  That big flower is hard to resist and all the lesser flowers in the amazing colors.
• Elizabeth Short by the Scarlet Letter.  I have had Elizabeth Short in my stash so long she feels like we are going to retire together.  Adam and Eve (dressed in very prim and proper clothing) are standing on a grassy knoll all stitched with French knots.  Gulp!  Maybe if I stitched the grassy knoll over one or in tent stitch.

These are the candidates.  And the winner(s) is:  Hallow Eden by Plum Street Sampler.  In comparison to the other samplers, it is smaller and very straight forward.  Maybe another Adam and Eve finish for 2013?  I am a sucker for a sampler with a black cat.  I am also using some vintage willow green linen I have had in my linen stash forever.

Isabella Fox may also get a start.  She is a lovely sampler and the fiber colors are so pretty.  Since good things comes in threes, The Hart Lives has moved to the top of my bucket list for 2014.  She was gifted to me by a wonderful dear stitch friend and it is time she become a reality.

Am always on the search for Adam and Eve samplers, please share your Adam and Eve sampler candidates.  Miss Callie Mae and AppleJack will be doing the anniversary drawing later this afternoon.  Miss Callie Mae is taking her morning nap and I have learned is best to let sleeping kitties finish their naps. 

Gardening in November

For those who think Next Year (the garden) has been abandoned and forgotten, she has not.  Next Year is very patient and forgiving and knows in spite of my neglectful gardening practices, I will return.  This is a wonderful time of the gardening year for making plans and evaluating.

Am still playing catch up on the leaf raking.  With the holidays, rug hooking retreat, rainy weekends and below freezing temperatures, I am behind schedule.  With an abundance of rain this growing season came an abundance of leaves.  One of the great benefits in raking leaves is an opportunity to burn off some Thanksgiving calories.  The neighborhood children who play in front of Thistle Manor love to play in the leaves.  They are eager to help rake and pile leaves and are rewarded with copious amounts of home made hot cocoa.  Yum Yum

The neighborhood children enjoy the curb garden and often stop to see which flower is blooming.  To help them feel ownership in the curb garden, we planted daffodil bulbs.  Seeing their faces in the spring when the daffodils bloom will be a welcome sight.

November is a wonderful time of the year to hit the gardening centers--great sales!  Adding a gardening bench is high on my gardening list and while Next Year is enjoying a winter nap, I will be deciding placement.  

The sound of neighborhood children raking leaves, hot cocoa, great sales, refilled bird feeders, the hope of spring blooms, gardening in November is a good thing!  

Anniversary

Time

My Friend Cindy and I recently had a lengthy conversation about time.

When I was a child, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seemed an eternity.  

Now the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas feels like I am riding on a bullet train.

December 1 will mark the two year anniversary of Samplings from Spring Creek.

To celebrate the anniversary, it is time to share some of the things I love with you:  Tasha Tudor's Heirloom Crafts, Pheasant Hill Charm Pack by Kansas Trouble Quilters, Wool from my stash, Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly and spring bulbs.

Leave me a comment and AppleJack and Callie Mae will be drawing next Sunday, December 1--the anniversary date.

Saturday "To Do" List

Retreats are wonderful!  They are too short and it's back to reality, I have been playing catch-up all week.  My Saturday "to-do" keeps growing.

• Carry the La D Da Adam and Eve sampler to the framer
• Pick up Blackbird Designs Give Thanks chart at LNS
• Carry bow tie quilt to long arm quilter
• Make chex mix for co workers
• Carry Mehitable Wright to the finisher
• Shop for Secret Santa gifts
• Pick up Primitive Quilts, Early Homes and Yankee magazines from bookstore
• Laundry (Yuck, my least favorite job)
• Rake leaves
• Plant bulbs
• Grocery shop or eat wish sandwiches next week
• Untangle Christmas lights
• Birthday card for Cindy
• Finish reading book and prepare for book club discussion
• Vacuum Asian Lady Bugs from window sills (another yuck job)
• Wash Autumn Leaf dishes for Thanksgiving
• Locate items for blog anniversary give away

There are probably more items, I think this will keep me occupied for the day.  Am hoping I will have enough time and energy for so stitching.  What's on your weekend agenda?

The conclusion of Three Bags Full

Yesterday was the conclusion of the Three Bags Full rug hooking retreat.  It was wonderful!  Isn't this Santa beautiful?

Here is Lisanne teaching/demonstrating "how to hook an eye."  Did you know eyes are oval not round and eyes have glint?

The colors! The whimsy! The fun!

Corn for fall 2014

Tone on tone 

Progress 

You never know who is going to drop in at a retreat.

And then there was this guy!  Be Bob, the Bobcat, isn't he beautiful?

Remember the retreat was held at Montgomery Bell State Park.  One of the many things the Wildlife Agency does is teach.  

Be Bob is a rescue Bobcat and a member of the Tennessee Wildlife Agency, he is  part of the teaching team.

Be Bob is still a kitten, he weighs about 25 lbs and will be about 50 lbs when fully grown.

His coat and bobbed tail and playful, youthful personality made him an instant hit with the hookers.

Three bags full was everything and more I hoped it would be!  Learning, sharing, laughter, inspiration, new friends and parting words of "see you at the next event."  Today it's back to reality--raking leaves. Mother Nature and the local weatherman have forecast storms.  Maybe Mother Nature will blow the leaves into the neighbors yard and I will be forced to stay inside and hook.  (he he)