A couple of gifts

have been delivered, so now I can show you the pictures.
I met up with Sandra and Sarah over the weekend - they were supposed to come for a visit last week but things came up - anyway, we got together for dinner and gifties.
I made each of them a pillow this year to put in their bags along with a few purchased things. (which I didn't photograph)

We usually start early and collect things all year but with all that was going on this year, my bags were kind of slim. They, on the other hand, filled my bags to the rim! I'll try to get pictures before it all gets split up and put away.

We had a great dinner and visit. I really miss our weekly stitch nights.

A few stockings

I made a little stocking to hang in 'my' room


then I made two to send to baby boy and his bride (they are hanging over the stockings we have used for the last 25 years - I stitched the names and my grandmother made the stockings) I 'stuffed' them and mailed them off to Minnesota.

hung a little r/w/b stocking in one of the guest rooms. I didn't make that one - found it half price one year and it matches the room. Can't beat that!

and if you look out the window in the r/w/b room you can see this! I think they ran out of yard space!

I'm going to get out one evening after dark and get pictures of the houses on the street. Maybe tonight? I'm sure it will be cold once the sun goes down, but at least we had SUN today!

On occasion

I actually do stitch!
Tuesday night I carried this basket downstairs with me

and yesterday I finally finished off three ornaments that I had stitched earlier in the year.

I very much dislike sewing on cording. More than that, I dislike sewing anything with invisible thread. I'm not exactly happy with the results and if I had been giving them to anyone else I would have taken them apart and started over.

But, they are just for me and I just know not to look to closely!

Well, actually I can look as closely as I want as long as I don't have my glasses on!

Thought I would show you a pic or two of my 'large wood and glass structure' that is now in the master bedroom.

The other day I found some lights with a white cord and since they were on sale, I figured why not - so I lit up my little 'structure'.

I kinda like it all lit up so I may even leave them up after Christmas. Makes a great night-light in the evenings before bed. Would have been really cute on the porch all lit up, but I'm enjoying it inside!

Would you like a cup?

Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?

I made hot chocolate mix the other day. (I didn't have any marshmallows that day, but I have some now if you would like those in yours)

I've had this recipe for years and usually make several batches before winter is over, although without the boys living with us I may not have to make as much this year.


First you need a really big bowl. If you have a pretty big bowl that you think will do, get a bigger one! This one is a 13qt bowl I found at Sam's. Big enough to mix it in without making a mess - if I am careful!


This is really easy. Nestle's Chocolate Mix, powdered sugar, instant milk and coffee mate. I use a whisk to break up any lumps in the powdered sugar and coffee mate before I mix it all together with a big spoon.


Mix it all together


and keep it handy! I keep mine in a glass jar on the counter next to the flour and sugar.

This is the original recipe - remember I said it was really old and at one time everything listed came in the size container listed - the chocolate mix and instant milk boxes have changed sizes. I'll list 'my' recipe following the original.

Hot Chocolate Mix

2 lbs Nestle's Chocolate mix
1 lb. box powdered sugar
14 qt box instant milk
6 oz coffee mate

Mix together well. Store in tightly covered container. Use 1/3 cup mix with 2/3 cup boiling water for 1 cup hot chocolate.
Makes 65 cups.

my conversion - 5 cups Nestle's chocolate mix (you could probably get away with a little less but I like a lot of chocolate!)
1 box powdered sugar - I think this is still a 1 lb box.
19 cups instant milk - I use the store brand, actually I use the Sam's brand - much cheaper than buying at the grocery store
6 oz coffee mate - have used the store brand for this also. I've never made it with anything other than the 'regular' flavor but you might try something different.

we use the 1 part to 2 part ratio - we always make ours in a large mug.

I'm really missing my instant hot water tap about now!

Makes a nice gift in a pretty jar if you need just a little something for someone. Add a pretty mug and some marshmallows and they are ready to go!

Last one

Karen got a little ahead of herself yesterday - she was wrong, but still right.

She guessed 5 but 'thought there might be more'. This is the big tree in the living room which brings the count to 6. Not the best picture but sun, we ain't got. Once we got the tree put together and straight and started plugging in the lights I remembered that there was a section that had gone out and we just kind of stuffed some in to make it do - I totally forgot that I had bought six boxes of lights to re-light the tree with. (I found them after about half the decorations were already on - wasn't about to start over!) so I'm marking in my 2010 calendar that sometime in November I need to set aside a couple of days to light the tree before we start decorating again. So if you think you see a few dark spots, just pretend they are twinkle lights and those are the sections that aren't twinkling at the moment - that is what I've been doing!

My tree topper showed up much better when it had a green wall as a backdrop. Hopefully by the time it goes up again next year there will be some color to show off the topper better.

I'm not going to even try to shove those big boxes under the tree - they will be delivered in the next few days so . . .

While this is the last of the trees, I do still have some decor shots I can show later in the week.

Now if we could only have some sunshine around here!

5 was the best I could do

As far as making a post a day went, but I do still have another tree or two to show. :)


At the top of the stairs, going into the game room - or hubby's room - is a little table where I put his 'fire station' this year. It has a little night-light in it. Not sure you can see it in this picture. In fact all these pictures are barely passable but that is what happens when you have no sunlight! It has been awhile since we have had any sun.


I used to put all the fireman decorations in the guest room and the ornaments on the big tree in the living room but this year I decided to put them in the game room.


The newest fireman ornament

on the tree with all the other fireman ornaments we have collected over the years. So hubby's little fireman tree brings the tree count to 5.

I'm almost finished with my shopping (thanks to hubby providing driver service on weekends - I do not do Houston traffic and you just can't get everything at wally world) Still have wrapping to do but I do have Jason and Ashley's package ready to send out today. I so wish they could come home for Christmas.

I will eventually have some stitching to show, but it seems the little bit I did this year was all gifts and I can't show those until they have been delivered. I do have a couple of ornaments I did earlier in the year waiting to be 'ornamented' so maybe I can get those done this week so I will have something to show.

I'm way behind on blog reading and still have some emails to answer but I'll get there.

Have a great week!

Are you keeping count?

Days in a row to post - 5

trees - 4

This little tree is in my office/sewing room. I've had it several years and have used the same decorations on it every year. I still like them, so I'm using them again this year.

The snowman is hanging on the door to 'my room'. I picked him up a few years ago at an antique store. The only other holiday decor in this room is a little stocking I sewed up a few days ago that I haven't had a chance to snap a pic of yet. (yes, Bertha has actually seen a little action the past week or so!)

I'm not showing the rest of my room - I know I showed the 'real' dining room but this room is a little too 'real' at the moment. LOL.

For those of you who asked - no, Jason and Ashley won't be able to come home to Texas for Christmas. I'm having a bit of a hard time with it, but I know it is just the way things go. This will be only the second time I've not had all three of my boys together for Christmas. Brian missed one Christmas when he was living in Illinois - that one was hard too. Even the year Brian missed, the other two were home Christmas Eve and woke up at home on Christmas morning so we had our traditional Christmas morning. I won't have any of my kids here to wake up on Christmas morning this year. I will see the oldest two on Christmas day which I am extremely grateful for, but it will be different.