Thursday, November 29, 2018

Early Christmas gift from L*K

Just for you...here's a little holiday freebie to make your season merrier!  Click here for the December freebie.


This little piece is a companion to the Moon Over Blackbird freebie we posted in October on our website.

We've already celebrated "Thanksmas" at our house. What is Thanksmas? It's the combined holiday you celebrate when you share/rotate the holidays with your adult children's families.

Our daughter Sarah and husband Jeff flew in to Wichita from Chicago for the long Thanksgiving weekend. They really appreciated our sunny, unseasonably warm temps - it was 65-70 degrees during their 4 day stay. Thankfully they flew back to the windy city BEFORE the big storm hit and closed the airports.

Thanksgiving feast with our family of 8

Christmas sweater cookie puzzle - if only they were edible!

We enjoyed all our usual Thanksmas traditions....cooking, baking, eating, working a Christmas puzzle, visit to Nifty Nut House (Wichitans will understand!), trip to N and J's (great Lebanese food) and Molino's (fave Mexi food), walks around our lake, annual Ebright talks and more.

Wichita Note: If you're ever in Wichita, schedule a quick trip to the Nifty Nut House near downtown. It's a giant building with an unbelievable selection of fresh nuts, candy and snacks. You can't walk in there without smiling. It's bustling all year long, but around the holidays it's slammed. The cheerful employees always welcome you to the Nut House and smile while they weigh and package your selections. Which makes me think...where did I hide that cajun snack mix?


We also added a new activity to our holiday fun - we decorated TINY gingerbread houses. I found some patterns online and baked the houses earlier in the week. I crafted 3 different house styles from "construction gingerbread". Gingerbread for houses is edible (I definitely ate some), but is a little harder than usual gingerbread. Note to self: When baking more than one style of house, be sure and keep the pieces separate next time - so confusing.

Hard at work with our pastry bags full of royal icing

Extreme concentration from Sarah and Jeff

Our finished "tiny house" village dusted with powdered sugar sitting in a "drift" of Epson salt!


My kitchen tree with leftover gingerbread

I used extra "construction gingerbread" to squeeze out these pointy heart cookies. Thankfully I remembered to poke holes in them for hanging BEFORE baking. I think they're pretty cute!

I still have 2 unassembled houses in my pantry. I'm looking forward to assembling them myself...leisurely. Here's how I picture it: me in my comfy clothes, looking outside at softly falling snow, a Hallmark Christmas movie in the background on TV, sipping a cup of hot tea. Maybe?!


***L*K CONFESSION
Hello, my name is Linda and I am addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies. It happens every year. Even though the plots are predictable and repetitive, even though every woman has the same hairstyle (soft waves!), even though everyone looks model-perfect all the time, even though it is ALWAYS gently snowing (never blowing), even though someone has always lost their "Christmas spirit" and even though there are a huge number of obscure PRINCES wondering around the US looking for mates....I find these irresistible. 

I'm not sure I have ever watched/listened to an entire Hallmark Christmas movie. I just like them in the background during the holiday season while I'm putzing around my kitchen. 

Want to share a favorite Christmas tradition at your house???

LEAVE A COMMENT below and share the holiday fun!










12 comments:

  1. Love the gingerbread village & the gift of a free design-thank you! What a wonderful looking get together. My family was so spread out and none of us wanted to travel since getting stuck in the blizzard of '67-no more of that. Mom and I always made something hand made, whether an ornament, table runner, decoration for the shelf or lots of crochet ornaments. So I still love to make something about this time. Today I just pulled out my variegated red, white and green crochet thread to make a small stocking ornament. Have a wonderful holiday season and a blessed Merry Christmas.

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  2. Enjoyed your blog!! I just want to wish your family a very happy and safe holiday. Merry Christmas!!!!!

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  3. I was born in Germany but grew up in Canada. My Mutti carried on the tradition of Bunte Teller (colourful plates) which contained nuts, German cookies, a marzipan piggy for good luck, a chocolate Santa, various German candy and a bright organge tangerine in the middle. My Mutti passed away in 1996 but I have kept the tradition going with my 2 children and now my 3 grandchildren. Shopping for the goodies is as much fun as putting them together and watching the faces of the little ones when they see Bunte Teller on everyone's dinner plate on Christmas Eve.

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  4. I love to watch Hallmark Christmas movies while I’m stitching!!!! My daughter and I are always looking formare to their Christmas Countdown, we just love them!
    Thanks a lot for another great chart! Merry Christmas!!! 🎄🎁 😍

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  5. We love Hallmark movies too here...
    I love your kitchen christmas tree!
    =)

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  6. Thank you so much for such a wonderful pattern...can't wait to sit down and stitch! Sounds like your holiday is exactly the way it should be...surrounded by family and friends, making memories. :)

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  7. Thanks for a wonderful post and the freebie! So glad you had a wonderful time with your family.

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  8. I love Hallmark movies too. I will rewatch my favorites.

    I think that Hallmark needs to do one of their movies in Abilene. All those Victorian and Queen Anne houses would be great backdrop.

    Thanks for the gift and many blessings your way.

    Elisa in Colorado

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  9. Thanks for the tip on the Nifty Nut House. We pass through Wichita several times a year on our way to and from Manhattan, KS to our home in Surprise AZ. I always stop in to Heart's Desire, so will have to add the "Nut" house to my itinerary! I love the Hallmark movies too. I record them, and then listen to them as I stitch Christmas Stockings. They are perfect background noise to stitch to. Merry Christmas!

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  10. My husband and I watch the Christmas movies in July and again in November and December! We have a big family party, with a simple meal, frosting sugar cookies, making a craft, playing basketball and playing Minute to Win it games! Lots of visiting! Cousins running around together and having fun. We try to have something for all age groups so they all have a good time! Merry Christmas!!!

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  11. Thank you for the cute cross stitch freebies you post! Merry Christmas to you, and thank you for blessing us all with your talents! I so love your patterns!

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  12. I always make cross stitch ornaments for my family.

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