Merry Christmas! (a finished quilt!)

Priorities around here...

Presents = about half-way wrapped.
BUT the quilt is done.  

This quilt started over 2 years ago, with the help of some wonderful ladies in a little Christmas Bee we did... (Thank you Kelly, Cherie, Amy, Rene, Natalia, and Karrie!)  

The wheels are the "Cartwheels" pattern from Tula Pink, and the trees are whatever the creative ladies came up with!

I have more presents to wrap, family to visit, cousins to play with, and a house to tidy, but I wanted to share this before Christmas was gone!

Blessings to you this Holiday season, and as the New Year comes!

♥

WIP Wednesday - O Christmas Tree

Finally getting this bee quilt taken care of!

Daddy took the little man to town today in an attempt to Christmas shop for Mommy (which is reason #432 I'm glad we had Scarlet, because let's just say shopping is not his forté, and I can't wait to send her along to "help.") ;)  

While Scarlet slept, Mommy quilted.

And when I spread the quilt out to check my progress (which I'm working on the binding now!), Scarlet practiced her favorite yoga move.

No lie.  You tell her, "Scarlet, do your downward dog," and she gets to work. :)

Her brother was not going to be outdone by his little sister. ♥

Oh how I love these two.

Wanna see their faces?

I've been listening to a lot of Christmas music to try to lift my spirits, because like so many of you, my heart is still heavy.  

But a merry Christmas week.  And Happy Holidays.  And now a line from my favorite Christmas carol...

"Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother... and in His name, all oppression shall cease..."

Linking to Lee's.

Orange Chicken: a yummy recipe (and gluten free too!)

I'm not a food blogger and have no aspirations to be.
Quilts will always be my first bloggy love.

BUT -- I'm a mom and a wife, and I'm always looking for healthy and yummy meals that make the big man, the little (picky) man, and the little lady happy.  I like this one too.

This is modified from a recipe I ate growing up that used two envelopes of Lipton Onion Soup mix instead of these other things I'm listing.  I'm trying to eliminate MSG from my family's life (it's a neuro-specific toxin!*)

I bought the ingredients to make it again this week. :)

I apologize that I don't measure.  I kind of don't know how.  I shake 'til it feels right.  No, I do not take that approach with quilts.  This is harder to mess up than a quilt.

Important -- 

• Don't reconstitute the juice concentrate!
• If you can't find pine/orange combo, you can use half a can of orange juice, and half a can of pineapple juice.  The bonus for this is that you have concentrate ready to make this again (which you will want to; I promise).
• If you put your onion in the freezer for approximately 15 minutes before cutting, it won't make you cry so much while chopping. (thanks Miki!)
• Bonus: Chicken thighs are inexpensive!  (I've never tried this with breasts; the thighs don't dry out, so that's why we use them.)
• My dad and hubby grow the "CalRose" kind of rice.  You can find it in the Asian food sections of the grocery store.  Uncle Ben's (and the like) never come in to this house.
• You can drain off some of the fat on top if you'd like.
• The sauce is really yummy too.

Here are the super easy directions!

It will look like the picture in the top when it's ready.  And you're welcome.  It's delicious.  I promise. ♥

P.S. A funny story about MSG.  I lived in Taiwan for a year of my life, and learned a lot of basic Mandarin Chinese, including how to request no MSG on the food for my friends and I.  I often got very strong questioning looks (and out-right questions), and this questioning face made more sense to me when I learned the translation of the word.  I was told, the loose translation of MSG in Chinese was "Flavor Pow!" of "Flavor Zip!"  (Picture old Marvel comics bubbles).  No wonder they wondered why I didn't want any.

a little top

Sometimes, no matter what the list looks like, you have to sew for fun.

And for the naked 24" pillow form that was unearthed during your weekend's intense closet cleaning work that has been claimed by the hubby and the big boy and the little girl.  (I shudder to think of what it will look like if it doesn't get a cover on it soon!)

I was also fairly desperate to make something that was done with little blocks (these are 8" each).  And used my stash.  And was cute.  And gratifying.



Can't wait to finish this!

P.S. Still plenty of time to link up with this month's "Just Three" if you feel so inclined...

December - Just Three!

Here we are... the last month of the year...

My report -- last month's goals:

1) Finish Pickledish! 

Not done -- but still looking good. :)

2) Finish Treasure Boxes 

I have the top done!  I'll be getting the link up for prizes up and ready very soon... so watch for it!  If you'd like to donate your Quilt to "Quilt Hope In" (benefits go to Heartline ministries in Haiti, who run a sewing education center as well as birthing center) -- just email me at traceyjay at gmail dot com, and I will get it listed.  

3) Learn to knit!  Amanda is coming over tomorrow!  yea!

I have learned the basic knit and purl... but haven't practiced enough to finish anything.  But I get the general idea!

______________________________________

This month's goals:

1) Really finish Treasure Boxes, and donate! ♥

2) A couple custom orders.

I have this one for baby Harrison up first.  They wanted a re-make of a quilt I made for my cousin's baby, with a Red Sox theme.  I was so happy with how the letters turned out (because I draw them by hand based on the Red Sox font).

I'll also be working on this girly one... so cute, no?

3) And my most important goal this month -- to help give my babies a Merry Christmas...and the big guy too.  ♥ ♥ ♥

RULES -- Pick three goals for the month, and link up here! (You can do more than three if you prefer... I'm flexible like that... and goodness knows I have more than 3 things I'd like to accomplish this month!) :)

Linking to Fabric Tuesday! and WIP Wednesday!