Are you Ready?

25 days until Christmas. Yes I know it is fast approaching. I am getting there, but the final stretch is going to be busy.

My neighbor went and shopped yesterday and she got hers all done. Mine needs sewing machine time to get done. I am going today to buy batts and then it will be up to me to get the discipline to get it all done.

I have a few seams on the last top and then I need to get the backs pieced and sandwiching time will begin. The good thing is they will all use the same color of quilting thread. I bought a large spool and I will fill tons of bobbins and I will be off and running to the end.

The wrapping will be harder to accomplish. I need to find some large bags to wrap them in.

We have a new Dollar store that has opened and I think I will hit the place and see what they have available. Hope you are all ready. LOL Chris

Row top almost done

I bought about 3 yards of this fabric three years ago to make valances for my Grandson's bedroom at his dad's. As you can tell it never got made. It was a stripe and had the length of the stripe going the length of the yardage. I cut it all apart and resewed it back together after slicing and dicing the stripes. I added red and black to make it all come together into a quilt top. I still have a couple more borders and then it will be done. I did all this today. My back is screaming and my mind is a blur.
That isn't hard to do anymore. I think I have lost it along the way. LOL

Derek's Dad is a fireman and he is really into all that is about the Fire Service. Derek goes to training sessions my son has as an instructor. Derek sets up the props for training and the other Firemen can't believe he knows so much about fire fighting and he is only 10yrs old. He has gone with his Dad to training and even to a few structure fires and watched from the trucks. He has ridden with the Chicago Fire Station on the SW of Chicago more than once. Unless his course in life changes a lot I think he will be in the Fire Service as soon as he is old enough to join as a volunteer. Public Service and helping others is the name of the game in my Family. Chris

Monday Tip Leftovers

I had tons of leftovers. We have had sandwiches and used several up already. I had lots of sweet corn leftover and ham. I thought why not. Corn Chowder.

We like soup and this was easy. I had about 3 cups of corn that was buttered and in it's cooking juices. I added a small cut up onion and 2 large potatoes peeled and chunked up. I let that simmer until the potatoes were tender.

I then took out some of the ham and diced it up to bite sized pieces. I added some chicken bouillon and salt to taste. I then simmered all together and added some celery salt for more flavor. I would have used celery but used it all in my stuffing.

After letting it simmer for about 15 minutes I added some Wondera flour to thicken slightly. It is a good one pot meal with leftovers and not so filling like we have eaten for several days since Thanksgiving. Two more bowls out of the fridge. I am slowly making more room by downsizing containers and using up leftover. I think the rest of the turkey and ham will be frozen and used later in the month. Hope you enjoy. Chris

Another top done

This one is done another finish. The Wall Crawler quilt is a Christmas present for the five year old.

Brody is into all the action comic figures so Grandma will please with this one. The blue is used jean legs that I cut and pieced for a border and also for the sashing. The black is just cotton broadcloth. The back will be the Spidey flannel and I think the binding will be black. Hopefully he will stay warm with this one. Chris

Talking over the pie

My Mother and Mother in law. My Mother is 83 and my Mother in law is 96. They talked about cooking for their families and how they remember all the work to get it done. We had a great time. A lot of food and all had fun. The dishes are almost done and the table is cleared off. Grandkids go home tomorrow and the room gets put back to normal again until next month when Christmas comes again.
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. Chris

Prep and Cleaning day

Not a pretty picture here. Very gray and cold right now. Suppose to be warmer than usual later today. My kitchen table is full of canned goods and also bread for all the things I need to prep for our dinner tomorrow.
I go and get the grndkids tonight so will have them on top of all the prep work. My oven is a normal size so the turkey will be done on the grill. Ham and stuffing in the oven. The rest will be prepared ahead of time or on top of the stove. The fridge space is at a premium. I plan on using my neighbors fridge in her garage if I need to. They are out of town and yes I cleared it with her.
Due to some family issues I am really stressed. Not sure who all will be here and what will transpire. As I said before holiday time is not my favorite time of year. Next year it maybe won't happen at my house. I guess it is time to pass it off to someone else and not have the stress. Hope everyone has a great day. Friends, family and great times together is very important. Happy Thanksgiving Chris

Happy Thanksgiving

MENU
Turkey
Spiral cut Honey Ham
Mashed potatoes and turkey gravy
Stuffing
Corn
Green Bean Casserole
Dinner rolls
Orange Jello Salad
Cranberry relish
Pumpkin Pie and Whipped cream
Pumpkin Carmel Pecan Pie
Blueberry Pie
Milk and sodas
Hope I have enough LOL