Merry Christmas!

I wanted to wish all of my blogging friends and followers a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with blessings, happiness, love and lots and lots of stitching/sewing time!



I will be back after the holidays with a giveaway that I've been putting together. Stay tuned!

Until then....I wish you enough!

Love from Texas,
Carolyn :0)

Decorations and giftees!

Yesterday we spent the day with Kevin's Dad's side of the family for Christmas and had such a nice time. It's always so wonderful getting together with everybody. The plus side was I got to see Kevin, Shannon and the babies! WOOHOOO! I can never get enough of that, for sure.

Friday and Saturday brought some goodies in the mail for me for Christmas. I want to share them with you so you can see the talent some of my good friends have. First I received this GORGEOUS crocheted ornament from Barbara. She is one of THE most talented ladies I know. There isn't a thing she can't do and can look at something, and make it up without even a pattern. I wish I was that smart! Isn't this a gorgeous ornament? (All pictures are clickable so you can get a better view.)



The picture doesn't do it justice at all. I wasn't able to capture the color and true beauty of it, but I hope you can get an idea. If you want a real treat, check out her blog. You won't be sorry. Thank you, Louie!

Next the mailman brought me this adorable ornament from my dear friend, Chris (no blog). We've "known" each other for nearly twenty years, but have never met. We started out as penpals way back when the cross stitch magazines listed penpal requests in the back of the magazine and have been dear friends ever since. She's been through a LOT with me, and I cherish our friendship. She knows I love roosters, so she stitched up this cutie for me. Isn't it adorable?



Thank you, Miss Chris! Both yours and Barbara's ornament have special places on my tree!

I thought I would share a few pictures of my decorations, too. Several people have asked to see. I normally decorate every room in the house and have tons of themed trees. Since we didn't know if we were moving or not, I didn't do that this year. I DID have to put up my "cross stitch only" tree up, though. It's my all time favorite and has more memories than I can count.



Here is a close up of a small part of the tree.Some I have stitched and others have come as gifts from friends or exchanges.



This is the tree in my dining room. I did it totally different this year since all of my Radko ornaments were packed and in storage. I missed using them, but the tree turned out pretty anyway. It's so hard to capture the beauty of the trees with the lights on, but it really does look pretty and sparkly.



Next is a picture of my dining room table set for the holidays. Now all it needs is wonderful family and friends sitting around it, and it would be perfect for me. :)



Last is one of my most favorite things - my Jim Shore nativity. It is so special to me.





Well that's all I have to share with you tonight. I so appreciate your visits and comments. Please come again and make yourself at home. I love all of my readers!

I wish you enough,
Carolyn

Okay okay....pound cake recipe!

I've had several emails and requests for the yummy Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe that I mentioned, so I'll post it here so you can enjoy. It's easy and a great gift when made in loaf pans. I will say that I made it last night. Well, I used a new pan - a Pampered Chef bundt pan. YUK. I don't know if it was the pan or what happened, but I ended up with two cakes.....the bottom and the top. I should have taken a picture. Thank goodness this wasn't being made to give or take somewhere. So, I carefully got the bottom out, and layed the top on it. YOU-GLEE...but yummy anyway. LOL I've made this cake a gazillion and one times and never had this happen, so it must have been the bundt pan. I just know it.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

3 cups sugar
2 sticks soft butter
6 eggs

Cream together the above. Mix together 3 cups flour and 1/4 tsp.soda. Add to sugar mixture. Fold in one 8 oz. pkg. sour cream and 1 tsp. vanilla. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours in a lined tube pan (never used this kind in my life).

The recipe doesn't say, but I always spray my pans with Pam. Also, make sure it's really cooled good before trying to remove from pan.

I will be interested to hear from any of you that make this how you like it. It's super easy and super good. Okay, that's all folks. I think I'll go make some coffee and have a piece of cake.

I wish you enough,
Carolyn

Good Morning and another thank you!

Good morning, friends. I'm up early this morning with a long list of things to do. First on the list was to post a thank you to BeckySC for a surprise package I received in the mail yesterday! Look at what was in it:



I love snowmen, so this perfectly stitched and finished ornament is just perfect for me! It now has a place of honor on the front of my tree. Thank you, Becky, for thinking of me at this time of year! I love my ornie!

I have packages to wrap today for Christmas we are having with part of the family on Saturday. I want to get them done today and not wait until the last minute like I tend to do. I also have on the list to make my yummy Sour Cream Pound Cake. OMGosh is it gooooood! I make it in loaf pans instead of a cake pan and give them as gifts to neighbors. Changing the sheets is on the list and other than that, I think I'll just wing it.

I hope today brings each of you the wonder of the season and that we can all think of something to be thankful for....however small it is.

I wish you enough,
Carolyn :)

I'm ready for some changes and a thank you!

First of all, I want to thank sweet Edgar for his surprise Christmas gift that I received. Oh my! He sent me some YUMMY peach preserves that he made and some awesome candy (oink, oink, the candy is gone!), Thank you so much, Edgar, for thinking of me at Christmas. You are a dear friend. Merry Christmas to you, Rico, and those precious furbabies of yours! Love the hats! LOL

Since we are staying here and not moving like we had THOUGHT we were going to do, I've decided it's time for some changes. I go through this every now and then. Afterall, it's just paint, right? But paint can sure make a change. The first place I want to start is my dining room. I inherited my grandmother's dining room furniture when my Mom passed away, It's cherry, and I have to admit that I'm not a cherry person. However, I have no intentions of changing the furniture, so I need to change the walls. Before I received the furniture we had painted the walls a brick red. Now the furniture just seems to get lost in it. I don't like it together at all. Here are a few pictures to let you see what I'm talking about. Half of our furniture is not even in there, as we had to move it out to "stage" the house for showing. I can't wait to get my teacup cabinet, etc. back in there. Anywho, I need suggestions. I'm open to anything. I will tell you my house is more of the cottage style, so of course this furniture doesn't really match that. BUT, it's here, I love it because of the memories, and it's staying. I WILL be recovering the chair seats. They are totaly fugly. Sooooo, we have to work around it. HELP all you friends out there. I want to start with paint first. Then I will be changing the curtains, although I really love them. I know they are out of style, but....what can I say. They will stay until funds are available to change them out..






See what I mean? It just seems dark in there. Our carpet is sort of a pale green, but that's not an issue, as it will be changed to laminate to match the rest of the house when time (and denaro)permits. Suggestions anyone?

Yesterday we pulled a lot of my mom's Christmas decorations out of storage and brought them here to see what I will be using. Again, since I thought we were moving, I did bare minimum on decorating. Those of you that know me, know that there is always at least ONE tree in every room of the house, and in some cases two or three. I'm a Christmas decorating nut. This year I only have three up and I'm not liking it. I hate to do too much more now, as Christmas is in 12 days, but I do want to find my nutcrackers. Where oh where are they? Which green tub to look in first? Of course it will be in the very last one. Murphy and all... I did find my Christmas dishes, thank goodness. I HAVE to have them. :)

Anywho, I look forward to hearing your suggestions. BTW, I'm going to try to have a giveaway soon. I think you will like it. I've been working on it, but haven't had a lot of time lately. I promise it won't be long, though. The only requirement is to post and be a follower, That's it! Easy peasy. I will let you know when so you'll know what post to post on.

Well, off to dig through green tubs. I'm bound and determined to find those nutcrackers! Have a great Sunday!

I wish you enough,
Carolyn :)