Two Birds & No Stones

No matter how carefully you stored the lights last year, they will be snarled again this Christmas.

~Robert Kirby

That couldn't be more true.  How many times have you taken the lights out after carefully putting them away the year before just to find one, big wad of light?  I know we have.  We no longer put lights on the outside so we have a lot fewer lights to deal with - only those for the tree.  I guess we will see either this weekend or next what kind of mess we have waiting for us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A Partridge In A Pear Tree

For the next 12 days of posting I'm going to try to find a cute picture to go with the song "12 Days Of Christmas".  Today is day one - a partridge in a pear tree.  Why a partridge in a pear tree? A partridge is not a small bird that can be easily placed in a cage in the kitchen. And the song pre-dates dwarf fruit trees so we are talking about a good sized tree which makes for a rather large and bulky gift.  Like other songs and art in general, the gifts in this song could have been chosen for symbolic reasons or possibly because they fit into the rhyme of the song. The twelve days of Christmas were a time of feasting and the partridge is a game bird that would have been a popular main course at one of the feasts.  Similarly, the pear was a common fruit which would have been available for the feasts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did quite a bit of sewing today but I'm not quite ready to show it to you just yet.  However, it is One Flower Wednesday!  I belong to the Inchy Flower Swap group and my latest swap partner, Hanne from Denmark, requested her hexie flower to be made from reproduction fabric.  As reproduction is not my favorite line I had a limited selection to choose from. 

I decided to go with some little fussy cut bears.  It arrived in Denmark yesterday and Hanne said that she "adored the small teddy bears" and thought she might use the flower in a pillow for her 16 month old son.  I'm just glad that Hanne liked it - I get a little nervous sometimes in these swaps not sure exactly what my swap partner will think of my work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I also received to blocks from my November and December swap partners in Christmas Quilting Block Swaps Australia.

I received this wonderful star block from Cathy (also known as CrafteeCC).  She is from Australia.  I just love the little colored ornaments set off by the gold and white stars.  She also included a very nice little note.

I received this star block from Ann in Canada.  The picture doesn't do justice to the richly colored block with the fussy cut center.  The little birds are so sweet and the berries are accented with gold.  All this is set on a background of olive and gold stars.  Simply stunning.  Ann also included a pin with a darling heart charm on it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I received an email informing me that I was the winner of the Quilt Show giveaway being sponsored by Cotton Cocktails!!  I was the 1st place winner and won a six month membership of The Quilt Show!  I am a very lucky lady!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think it's time for another super simple slow cooker recipe.  This time of year with all of the hustle and bustle, nothing is better than making something early in the day and have it ready come dinner time.  And simple is even better.

Chicken In Wine

Ingredients

2 - 3 pounds chicken breasts or pieces

10 3/4 oz can golden mushroom soup

10 3/4 oz can French onion soup

1 cup dry white wine, or chicken broth

Directions:

1.  Put chicken in slow cooker

2.  Combine soups and wine.  Pour over chicken

3.  Cover.  Cook on Low 6 - 8 hours

Personal Notes:

1.  I have only made this with wine and not the chicken broth - I would think there would be some flavor missing with the chicken broth.

2.  Reheats very well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAYS

Milk and Honey Designs is having a Super Big Book Giveaway!  There are four sets of books to possibly win.  This contest ends December 13th.

Pat over at 501 Quilt Blocks is having her very first giveaway!  She is celebrating the return of her daughter and family to NH by giving away 3 different sets of blocks.  Winners will be chosen the morning of December 16th.

Would you like to win 4 fat quarters.  Fabric ala Carte is looking for FB friends.  A winner will be chosen on December 14th.

Kate Spain is having a Stocking Stuffer Giveaway at her blog, The Drawing Board.  Each day she is giving away some sort of stocking stuffer.  This started on the 1st but will run until the 12th.

With all of these new giveaways, I almost forgot to remind you about my BIG GIVEAWAY!  Don't forget to enter by December 10th - that's Friday!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FINAL THOUGHT

Here we are half way through the work week and I'm not half way through with what I wanted to accomplish.  I think it's about time that I might just have to start doing some of what needs to be done on the weekends.  I usually try to reserve that time to share with my DH but he understands when this time of year rolls around.  Besides, that way he can decorate the tree - something he enjoys doing and me, not so much.  It probably stems from my childhood days when I'd help my mother decorate only to have everything I hung moved to another location that 'looked better'.  To this day I don't try to help my mother when it comes to decorating.  I must admit, her tree is something to behold.  I will have to share a picture of her tree one day soon.

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!
 ~Charles N. Barnard
Take today and make the most of it - have a wonderful Wednesday!!