Holidays – Page 7 – Thimbleanna

Happy Happy

32 Comments / November 27, 2013 November 27, 2013 / Around the House, Holidays

Zip Zippity. Just like the rest of the year, November has whizzed by and here we are at the end of the month. And it’s Thanksgiving for all of us in the U.S. Yay! I’ve been off work this week and I’m having a wonderful time just working around the house. I’ve been cleaning like a mad man — the price you pay when you ignore the cleaning all year long. Not much sewing done this week, although I did manage to cut into the pile of fabric I showed you a week or two ago. Five hundred and some-odd tumbler pieces. I’m thinking this will be a fun, easy quilt. It might be put aside for a bit though — you know, Christmas sewing and all.

Today was Pie Day (not to be confused with Pi Day which involves equally delicious baking.) I made the usual Apple, Pumpkin and Pecan pies for our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and therefore, I must document them here. ;-D Lisa had a fun post a few weeks ago about apple pie and she used the same leaf-shaped pie crust cutters that I have to decorate her pie. I’d only used those leaves around the edges of the pies, so I thought I’d try it her way and I think it looks so cute!

Being at home, doing all this domestic stuff makes me SOOOOO happy. TheManoftheHouse asked me yesterday if I was enjoying my week off. I wanted to say “Are you kidding?????” HAPPY. Happy. Happy. Happy. And here’s the cream on top of the week — we got a new bookcase.

A new bookcase is always HAPPY-inducing, but this one makes me deliriously HAPPY. Seeeeeee????

Do you know what this means??? I won’t have to climb that rickety old ladder to get into the attic anymore. That makes me SCREAMING HAPPY!!!!!!!

;-D

Ok. I’ve settled down now.

If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I hope you have a safe, healthy, HAPPY Thanksgiving!!!

XOXO,
Anna

Happy Easter!

22 Comments / March 31, 2013 July 13, 2013 / Holidays

Happy Easter!

I hope you’re having an Easter as beautiful as this one or this one. Or as elegant as this one! We’re having a quiet dinner with MeMum and BigDaddy. It will be just the four of us this year. We’ll be having a traditional Easter dinner of ham and scalloped potatoes on MeMum’s pretty Bluebird table.

If nothing else, I hope your Easter Basket is full of pretty fabric!
XOXO,
Anna

Happy New Year!

36 Comments / January 2, 2013 June 22, 2013 / Holidays, Recipes

Happy New Year!

And thus endeth the Holiday Triad (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years) that keeps us busy morning, noon and night. Are you all recovering from all of your wild partying??? We’ve had a fun and busy week. Capped off by our annual New Year’s Day family dinner. It’s the kids’ favorite meal of the year. Our menu is always the same:

Awesome Standing Rib Roast
(really, I see all kinds of standing rib roast recipes that look so fussy involving meat thermometers, etc. — you should try this recipe — it’s SO easy and always turns out perfectly!)
Twice Baked Potatoes
Carrot Puff
Green Beans Almondine
Overnight Seven-Layer Salad
Perfect Dinner Rolls (Thanks JuniePeep for telling me about this fantastic recipe)
Creme Brulee (MyDadLovesMeBestSister’s Specialty!)

Yum Yum! It was fabulous and today we’re all stuffed.

I was looking through my recipes and realized that I haven’t ever posted the Seven-Layer Salad in my archives. The boys’ LOVE this salad and I love it too ’cause you make it the day before, so the day-of meal preparation is just that much easier.

Overnight Seven-Layer Salad

1 medium head iceberg lettuce, washed and chilled
1 bunch green onions
1 8-oz. can water chestnuts
1/2 red or green bell pepper, seeded
2 stalks celery
1 10-oz. package frozen peas
2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 lb. bacon, crisp fried and drained
3 hard-cooked eggs
2 tomatoes

Core and chop lettuce into thin slivers. Spread lettuce over bottom of a wide 4-qt. serving dish. With a knife, thinly slice green onions and part of the tops. Scatter slices over the lettuce.

Drain water chestnuts and slice. Sprinkle over onions. Chop bell pepper and sprinkle over water chestnuts. Chop celery and sprinkle over bell pepper. Break apart frozen peas and spread over celery. Spread mayonnaise evenly over peas. Sprinkle with sugar, Parmesan cheese, salt and garlic powder.

Finely chop bacon and sprinkle over salad. Coarsely chop eggs and sprinkle over the bacon. Cover and chill for 4 hours or as long as 24 hours. Just before serving, cut tomatoes in wedges and arrange around top of salad. To serve, use a spoon and fork to lift out each serving, which should include some of each layer.

And, now we’re off and running! A New Year. A Clean Slate. Happy, Healthy New Year Wishes to all of you — I hope your year will be full of joy and fun! (That means lots of sewing and knitting and making LOL!)
XOXO,
Anna

Merry Christmas!

31 Comments / December 25, 2012 June 22, 2013 / Holidays

Merry, Merry Christmas! It’s that quiet moment in our morning before everyone is up, so I thought I’d quickly pop in to record our mayhem for posterity. The ovens arrived right on modified schedule — just in time to spend all day the 22nd making cookies. It’s a good thing too — I desperately needed my traditional Christmas Eve morning breakfast!

TheSecondChild arrived home on cookie making afternoon, bringing his travel companion, Moofie. The kitties have been having a grand time.

Moofie is the naughty kitty in the upper left. He got spooked on Saturday morning and bit TheSecondChild. So, late on Saturday evening, with a swollen hand, there was a visit to the ER for a little IV antibiotic therapy. I waited at home and tried to catch up on all the wrapping and cleaning — I’ve been so terribly behind schedule all fall. We all finally fell into bed at 5:30 a.m. The 23rd kept up busy with the annual Gingerbread Competition and suddenly, Christmas Eve was upon us! We had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner and managed to open a few presents before sending TheSecondChild back to the ER, that nasty infection seems to be spreading. More IV antibiotics and luckily, due to the holiday, the Dr. said he could come home overnight. We’ve modified our normal Christmas morning schedule while he’s gone again this morning for yet another round of antibiotics. Hopefully, they’ll send that infection packing!
So, it’s been eventful to say the least. Must run and get the traditional breakfast ready. And then Santa can visit!

If there’s anyone out there, I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday! We sure are — even with the crazy schedule and manic disorganization!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
XOXO,
Anna

Oven, Oven, Who’s Got the …

27 Comments / December 17, 2012 June 22, 2013 / Holidays

Like many of you, I’ve found this last week to be a blitz of sadness, hope and busy busy. And can’t keep up-ed-ness. If normal holiday madness wasn’t enough, it appears we’re getting new ovens this week. It’s the last step of the kitchen update. Finally. Last week was the big week so we removed our old ovens. (Well, ok, the week before Thanksgiving was the big week. And then it was the week after Thanksgiving. And then the week after that.) See my new ovens?

What? You can’t see them??? Yeah. The cabinet people screwed up the cabinet and got the measurements wrong. So now it’s a big rush job. And hopefully the new ovens will be here on Friday. Four Three days before Christmas. It’s Cookie Baking Week with no cookies! So, I entertain myself by wistfully reading about the cookies I would be making if I had an oven. And, of course, now I’m kicking myself that I’ve never posted about the Christmas turkey. You know, just in case the ovens don’t make it again, and I need to console myself by reading another old post!

Moving on, I’m making good use of that gap in the kitchen.

I’ve made the annual little soldered ornaments.

They’re always fun to play around with and they make good package tie-ons.

Also…
I’ve been learning a little bit about Ami Sims Art Quilt Initiative. She’s been working hard since 2006 to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research. If you’re looking for a charity at this giving time of year, this looks like a great choice.
And…
I’ve been included in a list of 40 homemade gift ideas. I’m in great company — have fun reading some of the fun ideas!
Have a stress-free week. “It” will happen whether you’re ready or not, so you might as well have a wonderful, fun time of it. And bake some cookies for me!!!
XOXO,
Anna