On The Road Again

Despite the blowing and drifting snow, my oldest granddaughter and I are traveling to the Philadelphia area this morning to spend the week with the lil' cowboy and his parents.  I wish that the roads outside were as warm and dry as they are on the My Little Town play quilt that I made for the lil' cowboy's second birthday, but I'm certainly not going to let a little snow keep us from all of the fun we have planned for the week!

Merry Christmas!

The branch that bears the bright holly, the dove that rests in yonder tree.
The light that shines for all to see, the peace of Christmas Day.

May your home be filled with peace and love this holiday season!

Christmas Eve

Cookies For Santa

Peppermint Shortbread

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup flour
1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
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1 cup white chocolate melting candy
1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy canes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extract. Mix in the flour, and then crushed candy canes.

Shape dough into 2 x 1/2 inch logs. Place logs 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in preheated oven, or until firm. Let cookies cool completely before removing from pan.
Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler, stirring frequently until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Place onto waxed paper until set.

One To Go!

One last pair of mittens to finish before Christmas. (What was I thinking when I decided to make FOUR pairs of mittens in December as Christmas presents?)  As long as I can keep up the feverish knitting pace, I shouldn't have any trouble getting them done and remarkably, with time to spare!  (Someone please remind me to start my Christmas quilting and knitting a little earlier next year!)

The Knit-a-thon Continues

The good thing about knitting for small children is that the projects are small as well and they go together quickly!  These mittens are for my 3 year-old granddaughter and I should have them done with a couple more hours of knitting time...in plenty of time for Christmas!

Another Pair Of Fingerless Gloves

Fingerless gloves seem to be all the rage these days because Miss Two also asked for a pair.  I made these using the same pattern that I used for her sister's fingerless gloves, only I used a 2x2 rib at the cuff and a smaller size needles for a better fit.  I guess now that the two older grandgirls will have new mittens for Christmas I should make the two younger girls mittens as well.  How many days until Christmas???

Selvage Cup Cozy

Here's another quick gift idea...a cup cozy!  I based my cozy on the tutorial found at House On Hill Road.  I did make the template a bit larger and I pieced together selvages instead of using a solid piece of fabric, but other than that I followed the directions as written.  Now I just need to add a coffee shop gift card and maybe a few cookies and I will be able to cross another gift off my list!

Pillowcases!

Pillowcases are fast and easy to make and now they are even easier to make with this tube method.  Pillowcases make great gifts and they can even be used as gift wrapping, so if you need a quick last minute Christmas gift or gift bag, a pillowcase project might just be for you.

If you have all of your Christmas shopping and projects finished and need something to do, consider making a pillowcase or two and giving it to a shut-in, sick child or anyone who could use a bright spot at this time of year as part of the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge.