Thursday, December 23, 2010

Piecing, coffee, and gifties...

After my pre-dawn prayer and Bible time, the nicest way to start the day is to share a cappucino with Blossom in our cute reindeer Christmas mugs. She has a regular cappucino and I enjoy my de-caff soy-cino. 
It's been 3 months since I stopped having dairy and changed to soy, and after the first 6 weeks I actually discovered I like soy milk! It has *really* helped with the severity and frequency of my hot flushes, and my tummy doesn't cramp anymore. Yay!
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Tomorrow will be food preparation day here.  I have a stuffed turkey breast to defrost overnight, and a trifle to make for Christmas lunch, and I need to make Apple Cinnamon Scrolls Christmas Eve night for Christmas Day breakfast. What do you have for breakfast Christmas Day? Is there a special tradition your family follows? 
This year I am giving the Scrolls a red iced topping (instead of their usual pink) and adding spearmint leaves for that festive touch. This is Blossom's absolute favourite baked item so the rest of us will need to grab a platefull before she wakes up or we'll be going without! :-)
Speaking of food, look what is in our bathtub!
Another of our banana trees was ready for plucking it's bunch and this is the only place big enough to store it as it ripens. Bananas anyone?
 ~~~~~
Yesterday I did some more work on the first of two new Shabby Roses quilt designs, but this time it wasn't embroidery. I spent hours making fiddly pinwheel blocks. I am a stitcher, not a piecer...but these things must be done. LOL!
More cutting and piecing awaits me today, but the end result will all be worth it! The pattern will be revealed in January - but I need to let you know this is not a free BOM. I think some people had that idea? I have something completely different for my 2011 freebie, but more about that closer to New Year. 
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The Gum Tree Designers like to play swaps. This year we have swapped pincushion, and doilies, but for Christmas we decided to swap aprons! 
Fee's name was plucked out of the cup to make my apron, and it is GAWJUS!!! She used beautiful *Bliss* fabrics...
...and added this scrumtpious stitchery to the pocket....
...and finished it off with a pretty, heart embellished brooch!
Thanks Fee, I LOVE it so much!!!
I made Joy's apron, but totally forgot to take a photo!! She'll pop a photo on her blog soon. Once we all have our photos up I'll do a fashion parade of them on our Gum Tree Designers blog.
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My Gum Tree Designer sisters also like to bless each other with something hand-made at Christmas. Let me show you some of the sweet things Vicki, Dawn, Judith, Fee, and Joy made for me this Christmas...
 
 
 
 
....and this is what I made them...
 ...diaries for F,D, J, V & V, but a pincushion/needlecase for Judith as she'll be on the road most of next year. :-)
~~~~~
I had better get back to that piecing if I want the quilt finished by January. 
Maybe one more cappucino first, though?
Hugs
Jenny
xxx

17 comments:

B J Elder said...

For Christmas breakfast we're having Peaches and Cream French Toast. It is so good. The bread soaks overnight in the egg mixture, that has almond flavoring in it. Then you make up a hot peach sauce that goes on top of the cooked 'toast', along with a dollop of sour cream and sliced almonds. Oh my, is it ever good. It is a recipe from my friend who served it often when she had a B&B. We're serving chicken and apple sausage with it.

Marsha B said...

Bananas in the bathtub, who would have thought! I only find them in the grocery store.

I love the beautiful fabrics you are using for your pinwheels. That is going to be gorgeous!

Merry Christmas!

retdairyqueen said...

Another lovely pattern in Country Threads Love it
Merry Christmas from my house to yours

Denice Barker said...

We have a cinnamon-y monkey bread for Christmas breakfast. Wouldn't be the day without it and the clan gets it just once a year.
Are bananas always picked so green? How do you know they're ready. Imagine! a banana tree! We just have apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums...but yes, we have no bananas!

Susan said...

Our usual Christmas breakfast is all that really bad stuff - bacon eggs, hash browns, sausages etc and consequently we dont do lunch until about 3pm and totally forget about dinner - well maybe a sandwich.
Love all your goodies - both received and given. About the soy - I received an email a while back about why women in China do not get breast cancer (well not at the same rate as the western world) - the theory put forward is that they do not consume large quantities of dairy products. mmmm intersting - I havent checked it out - but maybe worth thinking about.
Chers for your baking efforts and enjoy all your goodies!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

We always have a Stratta - egg, milk, bread, chopped ham, chopped spinach. Made the day before to let sit for the bread to soak up the egg - then a quick bake in the morning. With a smell of specialty blend "breakfast" coffee brewing and the baking Stratta - everyone gets up fast and ready for the day.

Karyn said...

we always have waffles, ice cream and maple syrup for breakfast Christmas Day; I think the appeal has to do with it being a very naughty breakfast!
I love the diaries you made, they are so sweet.

Clara said...

I woke up 10 min ago and I'm having my soya milk cappuccino!!! 3 years ago I started having terrible cramps in my tummy after having milk, that's why I turned to soya milk and now I like it very much. And... my son would like some bananas!!!!! Congrats for the stitchery, everything's stunning. There's something that we cannot miss for Christmas eve (we will be 18 at my home!): the "caponata" and the "insalata russa", 2 side dishes, the "tiramisù" and "lasagne". Have a very Merry Christmas ad all the best for the new year, Clara.

Srinity said...

It's funny to read about picking bananas since we have -30C here in Finland. :D

We have a late breakfast on Christmas morning. Rice porridge with butter or sugar and cinnamon or with warm or cold Prune Soup. I prefer cold Prune Soup. :) And of course some ham and good bread.

Allie said...

I have pre-dawn prayer time too, [and then I go to bed. *giggle*] I'm SO glad the soy is working for you Jenny! Love your bathtub bananas.
Your pinwheels are perfection! Oh I'm looking forward to this pattern reveal. Look how cute you look in your new apron! Very sweet - lovely gifts received, and sent. Love that book of lists - is that to keep track of where all your lists are? *G* I think I need to make one. I'm a listmaker from way back!

Pam said...

Our Christmas breakfast is pork pie. Don't ask me why but it is a tradition in Leicestershire.

Sheila said...

What a lovely bunch of bananas :)
Love all the goodies you gave and have received...what is the fabric line that you are using for your pinwheels - love it :)
Merry Christmas :)

Maria said...

How nicew to have your own bananas.How long do they take to ripen Jenny?
We always have Ham and Tomatoe on toast for Christmas breakfast.
Love the fabric in the new design you are working on.
Have a lovley Christmas.

Carrie P. said...

Well, don't you look cute in your new apron. I love the details on it. All your gifts are so great and such talented ladies.

Anna Rosa Designs said...

Hi Jenny,
That's a lovely bunch of bananas and hand made gifts you've made!
For breakfast on Christmas day we have waffles with fruit, vanilla yoghurt, custard and cream~the choice is yours...
Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and happy, healthy, fun filled, creative year in 2011
Merry hugs,
Anna

Rumi said...

What a lovely jam packed post! Love all the presents--given and received. So much talent in your group!
I'd love to pop by to taste one of your scrolls, sounds delicious!

Cheryll said...

Look at you in your apron! Very spiffy! It's so cute!