Christmas Traditions!!

What are your Christmas traditions? When I was a kid Mom would always buy lots of ingredients to make Christmas cookies, fudge and well pretty much what ever new recipies we would find. One year she made Orange creme fudge, and I think I remember Rasberry and Blackberry fudge as well. (Don't tell Keith if I get to those they will be a suprise).

We would put out cookies for Santa and Mom or Dad would read the christmas stories that she had pulled out of various magazines that year or the ones that she had saved from the previous years. Christmas eve we would get to open one present that mom and Dad choose for us and it was usually a brand new pair of Pajamas... I loved my pajamas probably because I am always cold but I love them. From what Keith said his family would do the same and well the new Pajamas didn't go over so well with him. But then again hes a boy and well what boy is ever excited to recieve clothes on any holiday?

Lets get back to those cookies though because that was the real purpose of this post. Depending on how my watch and other projects on my to do list go this weekend will decide if I get to the baking that I have promised Keith and Mom that I would get to for Christmas eve at Ryans and for special goodies at the house.

I happened to see a comercial for Betty Crocker Christmas cookies and remembered that the best cookies came out of Mom's Betty Crocker cook book. So I started surfing the Betty Crocker site and found some fantastic cookies, brownies, etc.

Super Easy Christmas Tree Brownies



Candy Cane Cookies



Spiral Snowman



These are just a few that I have seen that are fast and easy. Most of the new recipies use the betty crocker mixes rather than baking from scratch. Some of my favorites are Snickerdoodles with the red and green sprinkles on them and Chocolate Krinkles those are awesome. Gingersnaps those are the best to dip in milk.. smiles. I'm not sure if the recipe that I linked to is the same as Mom's recipe but it sounded similar.

Well that is about all for the recipes and holiday fun today.

More Holiday Helpers!!

I guess it has been a couple years but a while ago I set out to do the 12 days of Christmas gifts and it ended up being so much more. Here is the link to my previous post 12 days of Christmas part 1 and then to the post following it Part 2. Keep in mind that some of the links may be dead ends but alot of them still work. If you see something that you like and the link doesn't work let me know and I will do a search for some other great projects that are similar.

I know that there are alot of people out there that do other things like crochet and Knit so I figured what is the harm in posting about those things as well. I know that this blog is titled Quilting Adventures but it wasn't always that way .. I Changed it a while back and have no idea why. I actually crochet and learned to do it at about age 5, what can I say I wanted to know what mommy was doing. After joining the navy I rarely crochet and even less now due to the nerve in my arm. I actually tried to crochet a project a couple weeks back and failed miserably had to ask mom to do it for me.

I personally would like to set a goal to crochet, knit or cross stitch, plastic canvas, or quilt 5 small ornaments for our Christmas tree this year. I think that is a safe goal.. anyone what to join me? I have a few ornaments in mind some that I already posted about and then others that I saw and will post about now.



This blog has alot of neat things. The lady has decided to take a break but alot of her patterns are for sale on ravelry. She has some cute patterns for Christmas ornaments starting here.





Here is a Christmas light ornament.. very cute

and a couple of reindeer's here and here.

I hope that you will join me if you have time to play and make a few ornaments whether they go on your tree or get used as package toppers I think it will be fun and those 5 before christmas shouldn't be to hard to achieve.

Holiday Helpers!!

Are you looking for some creative gifts to give to people? Maybe a creative something to take to the guilds secret santa exchange?

This Link has ideas for making gift baskets not just for your favorite sewer but for others in the family as well.


How about a wine gift basket? That is what I am going to put together for my brother and sister-in-law. Here is a pattern for a bottle cover/ bag could be used for wine or apple cider. I myself am going to modify the pattern a bit and make the bags smaller and use them to wrap some Marinades to put in my husbands stocking because he loves to grill.

Do you have some one that is going to be at your house for the holidays and doesn't have a stocking to hang up for Christmas morning? Here is a quick and easy stocking pattern that could be used for unexpected guests or maybe an exchange that you could fill with sewing goodies and notions.

Here is a few quick ornaments that you can make to give to neighbors, attach to packages, give as teachers gifts or maybe use as a project to spend time with your kids.

Stocking Ornament

Star Ornament
Yo Yo Wreath Ornament.. I personally would use a darker green fabric that has the hollyberrys printed on it but if you don't mind sewing on the beads I'm sure it will look awesome.

Well that concludes this segment of Holiday Helpers we'll see what I can find through out today and this after noon. If I find some good things to share with everyone I might get some thing posted this evening but that all depends on what couple time Keith and I decide to do. Yesterday we go home had a fish tank emergency and then after dinner I was pretty much done. Fell asleep on the couch and Keith woke me up to tell me the new Kitty unrolled the toilet paper and then to tell me that it was time to go to bed.

200th Post gone!! No give away... :-(

Well since I was a dunce and missed the 200th post (Its been one of those days believe me.. smiles), I am going to wait until my 250th post and will host a small give away. Yeah I know your thinking to your self you hardly post but I am going to set myself a few minutes every night when I get home from work to talk about what I did the day before. Like yesterday for example I came home ate dinner and then let Keiths new kitty out of isolation to let her roam a little.

I didn't tell you about the new kitty did I? well its about that time for me to be cleaning up to get out of here and head home.. We lost Keith's 3 year old angel fish this morning and well there was one other shocker for this morning but it was my fault I was stupid and don't feel like posting about it today so maybe another time. I think I am going to go to the pet store this afternoon and get a new filter for Keiths tank as he is not fond of the one that we have now, pick up some kitty christmas presents and then head home to cook dinner and relax. Have had a headache all day and the fumes from the work that the contractors are doing in our building hasn't helped that at all.

So heads up be watching for that post 250.. who knows what the give away will be but I'm looking and planning.. might be right after christmas or so.. I still have yet to post Keiths 12 days of Christmas.. those to a lot of thought and not much planning so I'm hoping that he will enjoy them.

I also had a 12 days of Christmas gifts post that I thought I had typed out but apparently I only have it in email. Looking for some last minute gifts? Some Blog give aways? Or maybe some last minute things to make your holiday brighter? Stay tuned those will be posted here in the next couple days as well.

And Secret Pal if your reading watch for those teasers that I promised. Smiles!!



22 MORE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

Where did November go?

Well I have no idea where my november went and if you have looked at my blog I just finally pushed all the posts that were sitting as drafts out on my blog with out pictures because well lets just face it I write them tell my self that I need to add said pictures and then never do. I had 6 or 8 posts that needed to be published and now they are out there. The latest weekend post was actually from the begining of November but pretty much says what I have planned for this weekend. Anyone that has been around and known me for a while knows that last february I was placed in a Limited Duty status for the navy. Taking me away from my normal job working on aircraft and putting me at a desk were my arm was supposed to get better through all the therapy and what not.

Well the latest on that is that I have finially been able to stop making the drive back and forth to San Diego. A few weeks ago they sent me for an EMG study where they shocked the crap out of the nerve in my arm to test the conductivity and reaction time... It didn't go so well and I had a follow up with the Orthopedic Surgeon last week. He has taken responsibility for my case file and now most of my appointments will be here local. I was hoping that they would be able to fix things with out another surgery on the nerve that has already been worked on but that isn't the case this time. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday January 13 and they have given me 30 days convalescent leave from work after surgery to start the recovery process. Pending the out come of this surgery will decide if the navy seperates me from Active duty.

My hopes for the new year.. to have some relief from the nerve pain that I have had a gain the motivation to sew back. (crossing my fingers)