I’m so excited!    I came home from Thanksgiving today and guess what was in my mailbox?

This came from my Secret Santa!

Isn’t it soooo cute?!  I cannot wait to hang it!  It was made by Sandie at Crazyboutquilts.   It’s as cute in person as it is in the picture!

The only hard thing about receiving it is that now I’m second guessing myself on my Secret Santa gift.   I’m a new quilter, so sometimes I get these bouts of insecurity.     I finished my gift this weekend – It’s the first time I’ve made something without a pattern.  I’m happy with most of it, but it’s not as perfect as I was hoping.  I keep thinking I ought to take the binding off, resquare it again and bind it again. . . .    I guess  I need to decide soon, huh.     I’m also thinking now, it’s not enough, I mean I just got this really awesome wall hanging.

So, here’s a couple of shots of what might be my Secret Santa gift. . . . (unless I change my mind and change it yet again. . . .)

The front

The Back

It’s so hard to make decisions!  I think I’ll take a break while I decide and  go take care of my pug,  Sadie.  She’s got pug dog encephalitis (at least that’s the tentative diagnosis) and she’s 11.  So she’s not feeling well right now and we just got back from the vet.    Anyone with suggestions on how to make my candle mat better?  Please share!

And THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH to SANDIE!   You may my day.   My hubby has been sick all day while I drove the 5 1/2 hour trip back from Thanksgiving, then we picked up the puppies from the Kennel and Sadie was seriously  sick.   It was so nice to open this when I got home and it truly lifted my spirits.  I absolutely love it and am looking forward to displaying it during the holidays.  I’m so thankful that you shared it with me.  I know it had to have been hard to let it go.  It’s gorgeous.

By the way, did I say I LOVE IT?  ‘Cuz I do! 

One of my goals for November and December was to participate in the baking/dessert contest  at my company’s Fall Festival.    I spent a lot of time trying to decide what to make.  Should I make one of my fudges, my butter toffee. . . . or something else entirely?

One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking.   I can remember helping my grandma as she began preparing for our big family gathering at the holidays.  She’d start making cookies months in advance and freeze them.  She’d make cakes, and pies and pizza crusts.  And we would feast for days.   Some of my favorite recipes have come from cooking with my grandma and indeed a lot of my cooking knowledge came from all those days in her kitchen.   And as I’ve started building my own family, it’s some of those very recipes and experiences that I’m trying to incorporate into my new family traditions.   As we move into the holidays,  I’ll begin baking some of those recipes.  As I do, I’ll post pictures and stories here.

You’re probably wondering now, just which one of these terrific recipes I decided to use right?   Actually, in the end, I decided on a recipe I’ve only made a couple of times, but it’s always gotten rave reviews.  It’s a recipe I’m hoping to make into a holiday tradition in my family.  I thought that fudge seemed too ordinary, and not everyone likes toffee.   So being the competitive person that I am,   I made  White Chocolate Peppermint Scones with Candy Cane Cream.   And it was a hit!   There were 25 to 30 entries.   I took third place!

Luckily I snapped some pictures before I took the scones in, because they were gone by the time I got the festival!   Here’s a few shots to enjoy. . . . .

The Judges Plate

Close up of 1 scone - yes it's Christmas tree shaped!

The smaller round ones I made for everyone to try.

Thanks for letting me share!   I’ll probably be excited for days.

So I’ve been thinking and thinking about my Secret Santa Swap.   I’m having the hardest time deciding what to do. . . . .

I’ve got all this fabric to choose from. . . . .

I could do the fabric wreath  by Rachel of p.s.  i quilt from moda bake shop . . . .

or one of those mug rugs like this one by That Girl . . . .That Quilt and add something to go with it. . .

Or this Charming Living Runner by Ruby Blue Quilting Studio at moda bake shop . . . .

So what do you think?   Anyone got a vote?     I don’t know why it’s so hard to decide!

You may have noticed (or not) that my blog address recently changed.    I’ve got my own url now!     Along with that I’m planning some changes for my blog.   In the past, this has been a strictly crafting blog and pretty much all the posts revolved around a project.   I’ve decided to start putting some of my life into this blog as well.  So there will still be crafting projects, but I’m hoping there will also be a little bit more of me and my life.  I hope everyone enjoys the change.

So, it is November, and that means it’s time for new goals.   I was a little ambitious last time.  I forgot to factor in football season into my goals.  I’m not going to do the same thing this time.  I’m going to remember it’s the holidays as I’m making my goals. You’ll probably notice that as it’s the holiday season, my goals are more focused on family and keeping my sanity than on lots of projects.  That’s by design.  I’ve always felt that Christmas was about spending time with those your love.  I’m keeping that in mind as I set my goals.

Here we go, my goals for November and December:

1.  Compete in the baking contest at my company’s fall festival – that’s actually this week!

2.  Spend thanksgiving with my hubby’s family in Mississippi.

3.  Complete the  Digital Scrapbook I’m working on of this years fun times and send it to the printer.

4.  Finish Binding the Verna Quilt.

5.  Have a girls day with my Dalton family.

6.  See my Ar family at Christmas.

7.  Not let my job get to me -  Remember it’s a job, it’s a paycheck.  It’s not who I am.  It doesn’t define me.   I am more than what happens from 9 to 6.

8.  Create a digital Christmas Card and get it printed, addressed and mailed out!

9.  Be reasonable in choosing my Christmas baking projects.

10.  Finish my Christmas shopping.

11.  Quilt and Bind the baby quilt I started.

12.  Complete my Secret Santa Swap project and get it in the mail by the deadline!

And here’s the last update for my Sept/Oct goals -   I didn’t do as well as I hoped, but I think I took on too much.   I guess we live and learn.

1) Go to a couple of football games with my Mississippi family. STATUS: We’ve been to several games and had a great time.  We took my nephew tailgating for the first time too!

2) Make 15 of my Christmas cards.  STATUS: I seem to have stalled on this one.   Maybe I just need to do digital cards this year. . . .

3) Quilt and Bind the baby quilt I started.  STATUS: MUST GET STARTED SOON!

4) Cut and sew my “Awesome” quilt top  STATUS:  CANCELLED -  I’ve changed my mind and decided to do a different project after the first of the year.

5) Sew the “Origins” project. STATUS: COMPLETED (well, except for 1 little peice of velcro, but that doesn’t count right?)

6) Bind “Wrapped in Paisley” quilt. STATUS: Completed and Delivered.

7) Catch up on my scrapbooking.

8.) Start the Georgia quilt if I have time.

9) Pick fabric and make my kitchen project.  STATUS:  Cancelled.  I can’t find fabric I like, so I’m postponing this one till next year as well.

10) Go to the Theater with my Dalton Family.  STATUS: Trying to schedule a new girl’s outing for December

11) Go see my Grandma in NC. STATUS: We had a wonderful visit with my Grandma! It was so nice to see her again.

12) Spend some time with the girls.  STATUS:   Had a great girls day out – went to several restaurants,  the Little 5 Points Halloween parade,  and in general just really enjoyed spending some quality time with my girlfriends.

13) NEW – Bind the Verna quilt I just got back from the long arm quilter.  STATUS: The binding is about half done.   Just need to finish it.