Christmas 2009 Celebration with grandchildren - Part one

Sunday evening my local grandchildren came over to celebrate Christmas in a different way.
We started out having Pizza Fondue for supper. This was prompted by their father's fond recollections of enjoying it as a teenager. If the amount he ate was any indication his enjoyment hasn't diminished!

After dinner there were gifts to be opened. These were not the usual gifts you buy in a store for the most part. They were family treasures and memorabilia. Each child got one large bag filled with smaller boxes and objects. Each one also received a small notebook to write in. As they opened an item if there was a story to tell about that item I related it to them and they were able to write it down. They really seemed to enjoy the gifts and the stories.


Here is Heidi showing one of the gifts she received. It was a precious doll pin I used to wear when she was less than 2. She was so attracted to it as a child so now she has it as a memory.


Dana has loved monkeys including sock monkeys. She was the recipient of a sock bunny that used to be one of the toys I would put under one of our Christmas trees.


Jeff Jr. is writing the story of Grandpa Jerry's golf ornament.


Kierstin is reading the inscription I put on the bottom of one of the ornaments I passed on to her from my Christopher Radko ornament collection.


Cooper loves pandas. He is inspecting the Christoper Radko panda ornament. I had to hold my breath that he didn't crush it!


Jeff Sr. is showing how his father's ring that Jerry wore on his ring finger fits his thumb!


Always a favorite with this family is a Slinky. One of those toys that never goes out to style. Can you believe I NEVER had one as a child!

This is the first time I've included a recipe on this blog. Marcia asked about it and so did other friends. Hope you'll enjoy it. It is delicious. There was a tiny bit leftover and I am having it for lunch tomorrow.

PIZZA FONDUE
1 onion, chopped
½ lb. ground beef
2 T margarine or shortening
2 - 10 ½ oz cans pizza sauce
1 T cornstarch
1 ½ t fennel seed
1 ½ t oregano
¼ t. garlic powder
10 oz grated Cheddar cheese
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Brown onion and meat in shortening in Fondue pot at #9.
Mix cornstarch and seasoning into pizza sauce.
Reduce heat to #6 and sauce to mixture. Stir well.
When mixture thickens and bubbles, add cheeses by thirds, stirring well after each addition.
When all the cheese is melted, turn control to # 5 to keep warm.
Dunkers: Garlic bread cubes, toasted English muffin cubes, bread sticks

Serve over toasted English muffin for a luncheon treat.
Serves 4-6 as main dish
10-12 as appetizer

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

Santa's pack is full of special things just for me!

The fur is from my mother's mink stole.
The stole lining is his underdress.
The attention to detail is amazing.

Make sure to click on this photo to see the details in a larger view.

While visions of sugarplums......

danced in their heads!

All is calm, All is bright

Although I thought I was done decorating I found these ornaments and added them to the dining room chandelier for a festive look.
I hope your Christmas Eve is filled with peace and love.

Everything is coming up - Poinsettias! 2 more days

Poinsettias have always been am important part of our Christmas decor at Casa Sorensen. Somehow there weren't any this year.
When I came home from my afternoon appointments this one had been delivered and it is from my son's family - Greg, Julie, Blake, Nicholas, Jessica and Jared.
I LOVE the color and immediately found a special spot to showcase it.


I also decided I should take my poinsettia purse out of the closet and display it on the credenza. It is really a work of art and so appropriate for the season.

For those of you who are suffering puzzle withdrawal - here is another one for you!

I LOVE to receive Christmas Cards - 3 more days

I am amazed that I continue to receive Christmas cards from friends and family since I haven't been able to send them for a few years.
This year I am sending them. There was a delay since I was waiting for my Zazzle stamps which were miss sent and finally got here late today. Cards go out tomorrow and probably won't get to the recipients until after Christmas. I hope they're just glad to get them!
I also love to receive those newsy Christmas letters. I keep them from year to year in a RED notebook. I wish I had thought of this many years ago. It's so much fun to go through them and read the ones from a while ago!

This card was one I made in the 70's - 4 more days

I think I silk screened this card. It must be at least 20 years old and is a little wrinkled.

These colors were popular in the 70's! Today they are back but when things return there is always a little difference.

Or did you get this Christmas card from us in 1962? 5 more days until Christmas

I can't believe I hand inked a gazillion of these with a fountain pen.

And here is the inside.
This card did double duty! But how did I do this with a brand new baby and a 3 year old?
The brown marks are from the old Scotch tape that dried out and left a mark on the back of the card after 47 years.

Did you get this Christmas card I sent you - 49 years ago? 6 more days until Christmas

It's hard to believe it has been 49 years since we sent this Christmas card to friends and family!

If we put up a lot of lights Santa will be able to find OUR house! 7 days until Christmas

How many hundreds of thousands of lights are there? I found out: 120,000 give or take a few!

Sibling get together report!

You can see by the expressions on their faces that Clay and Bill are eagerly anticipating opening their gifts. Last year my brother Bill gave me a hard time saying the gifts are always for the women. So I made sure they each had a special man present this year!


When our grandchildren open each gift they hold it up and a photo is taken. Clay and Bill are showing their puzzles with various United States presidents playing poker. They each are looking forward to sharing and doing these puzzles. Bill has his puzzle table set up and Clay will do his when they spend time in Springfield, IL during the winter.


Now it's time for the ladies to anticipate opening their gifts. I thought I did a very clever job of wrapping their gifts!


They are each showing off their luxurious scarves made by my friend - Jane Steinberg Originals. I personally selected the colors for each one to go with their coloring and wardrobes. These are especially wonderful as these are some of the last scarves Jane made before she discontinued creating them. Left to right: Connie, Mary and Karen.


Here I am wearing my Jane Steinberg scarf. I love the feel of the silk and the way silk takes color. Each one is a very labor intensive process.


Like my friend Tommy I have the best intentions of taking photos of the food for my blog. Somehow in the hub bub of getting food on the table I forget. I will admit Tommy does a much better job of showing food than I do. Here are my 5 guests ready to enjoy dessert, a delicious lemon poppyseed cheesecake made by Connie. It is Karen's FAVORITE dessert!

The complete menu included a delicious Mexican dip with chips for the appetizer made by Mary, a luscious 4 layer salad by Karen and Cranberry Chicken, Cheesy Potato Bake and buttered brussel sprouts by me. Of course Clay brought some great wine.

Although I have featured over 200 puzzles on this blog I don't think I've ever been the puzzle. So tonight I'm a puzzle!

Were ready to nestle all snug in our beds .. 8 more days until Christmas

If color film had been available in 1955 you would know these are red and white striped. I made each and every one includng the dolls jammies!

Getting ready for the sibling get together

One of the first things I did today to get ready for our Christmas get together was to set the table.

I made sure I staked my claim on the chair I wanted to sit in.

When we were growing up there were a limited number of seating options in our living room. If we got up and wanted to sit there when we came back we had to say "I get to sit there when I come back." If you forgot to say it someone else was in your spot in less than a minute.

I put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree in the parlour.

I wrapped the gifts and put them under the tree.

I spiffed up the house and started cooking dinner.

Continued tomorrow!

I have a puzzle for your tonight with the tree and the chairs that would be occupied in a few hours.

One More Christmas Tree!

This is another one of my small trees. I get more decorating mileage out of these small trees that complement their surroundings than I did when I used to do 3 full size trees!
This one needs a few more lime green ornaments and they are in a box that is on it's way to me from Florida.
Today I have been getting ready for our 2nd annual sibling and spouse get together at my house for appetizers and beverages, dinner and dessert. It is just the siblings - no kids or grandkids. We really enjoyed it last year and it is a tradition I hope will continue for years to come. Our other get togethers include all generations - which at present is 3!
Each of us contributes to the meal so I don't have all the work.

I'd better post this and get back to work!

In hopes that St. Nicholas ... 10 more days until Christmas

As the family grew the living room was taken over by the gifts and there was little room for the family!

by the chimney with care...11 more days until Christmas

Nicholas hopes Santa fills his stocking too!

Twisted Log Cabin Christmas Card

This has to be one of my all time favorite Christmas cards I have every received.
My sister in law Sue makes really great cards each year for Christmas and other occasions. She certainly outdid herself with this Twisted Log Cabin quilt block.

The message inside the card reads:
Life's most beautiful things are not seen with the eyes, but felt with the heart. Wishing you a special season of the heart.

Handmade cards and gift items mean a lot to me.

Puzzles make great Christmas gift so this is a gift to all of you who read my blog.

The stockings were hung... 12 more days until Christmas

Jared is hanging his stocking so Santa can fill it.

I had my first visit to this blog from someone from Kazakstan yesterday. Some of these countries weren't even in existence when I went to school!

Riding in Style!

Thanks to the generosity of a family member I rode home from the airport in this stretch limousine all by myself! Usually they just send a luxury car. I told my neighbors I should have called them and woke them so they could see my mode of transportation.

My ride to the airport was also great. Our friend John drove me to the airport in record time. He drives the speed limit but he knows all the best routes ands shortcuts. I arrived in time to go through security at a leisurely pace and get to the boarding area about 15 minutes before boarding. Our plane had only 30 people on a 136 passenger plane. We got a lot of personal attention from a great cabin crew. I had a delicious chicken wrap on the plane for a late dinner. I actually passed on the hot chocolate chip cookies.

We landed 20 minutes early and the driver was waiting for me with his sign.

The shock came when I had to cross the road to the waiting limo - the cold almost knocked me over. I didn't think a 45 degree difference would be that hard to take. It was.

Today has been a leisurely type of day. I've unpacked since I only had my computer case and a tote bag with little in it. One of the two Priority Mail boxes I sent arrived today so I am now emptying it. It contained things I can't find in WI or things I just wanted to relocate to WI.

Continuing the Countdown - 13 more days

This picture was taken about 8 years ago.
We made the ice luminarias in 5 gallon buckets. They were beautiful.
This may be the year that we will have enough snow and cold to do it again.
But I think for some things "once is enough"!

When you read this I will be on a plane headed for Wisconsin. This is some of the art at Mitchell Field in Milwaukee. Or I may already be home depending on when you read this!

This is the sign at the departure area after you go through security. I think they made up this word because I couldn't find it in my dictionary. It does show that someone has a sense of humor.
I do hope there are no delays related to the weather and if they are, I hope I can keep my sense of humor. I'll be bringing knitting to pass the time.
I'm travelling very light - no suitcase which makes things easier. It's that darn computer that is a pain to travel with!

The countdown continues: 14 more days until christmas

This was one of my Christmas Trees last year and you can expect to see it again!
Will there be any Rubik's Cubes in the packages under the tree?

Almost Crazy Christmas Quilt

Almost Crazy Christmas Quilt

In a private collection

I have finally finished this quilt. I felt it had to be perfect and some days it's harder to create perfect art. Yesterday and today where the right kind of days. I LOVE it.
It is 21 inches wide and 28 inches high. It has a casing on the back so you can insert a wood slat to hang it.

To see a closer view of the detail you can click on the photo and see it in a larger format.

Counting down: 15 days until Christmas

Santa has bolts of fabric. I suppose Mrs. Santa will be making quilts through Christmas Eve.

I have had my first visitor from Bahrain on my blog.

Spectacular Medallion Quilt

My students have done some amazing work over the years. This medallion quilt was created by Char Burns for her son.
She had taken a machine embroidery (thread painting) class from me previous to making this quilt. Her son drew the wolf and she embroidered it.
Some of the things I covered in the class were how to choose fabrics and integrate the borders for a cohesive quilt.

If you analyze the borders you can see they are really very simple. Her choice of fabrics with the proper amount of contrast is one of the things that makes the borders and the entire quilt work.
She also gave careful consideration to each and every corner with a design that worked in the corner.

She had never done any stenciling so I gave her a quick lesson on using freezer paper to stencil. She used a real leaf for the pattern. She used more than one color of paint to tie the colors of the leaves into the colors in the quilt
She certainly accomplished her goal of making a stunning masculine quilt for her son.

This quilt was pictured in Ladies Circle Patchwork Quilts when they visited Wisconsin. It was photographed on our bed and it did indeed look stunning there.

Many faces of Christmas - Countdown 16 more days

All six different photos on this cube are memories past and present of Christmas.