Saturday, December 20, 2014

Blog Girls Celebrate Christmas

Last year I started a tradition by inviting my 3 blog friends here for a holiday luncheon.  We had it at Taci's home this year.  She was preparing a pork roast so I tried something new, roasted potatoes.  I cut Yukon Gold potatoes into 8ths, tossed them in olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and 2 crushed and minced fresh garlic cloves - roasted them for 45-1 hr on 425 deg F.  I didn't stir them or anything and they came out perfect! (This is the serving pan, I roasted them on a large jelly roll/cookie sheet, non-stick.)


Taci's tree was beautiful!



The girls putting the finishing touches on lunch.


Our hostess had the table set beautifully.


I must say.. I forgot to take a photo of my plate all filled up.. :-)  Betsy brought some wonderful fresh baked rolls that she got at a local bakery, Gracie brought a veggie salad, our "new girl" was Becky L. and she brought some peppermint Oreos for dessert.  From left - Betsy, Becky, me, Taci and Gracie.  I have to tell you our photo session was hilarious and like watching a 3 Stooges movie!  Our photographer had to use 4 cell phones and 2 cameras and after checking mine, in each of the 3 photos someone had their eyes closed or were blurred moving their head, so I had to beseech the photog to try again.. and finally we got a good one!  LOL!


After lunch we retired to the living area where we exchanged small gifts and chatted away... and we worked on our crochet and knit projects.  Taci showed Becky how to do Continental style knitting.. I hope she keeps trying as it's so much easier to carry your yarn over your left hand like crocheting.  Which style do you use?  English where you "throw" your yarn with the right hand or Continental where you carry your yarn on the left hand.  Too soon it was time for us to head home. Betsy showed us her favorite knitted scarf/shawl.  Betsy flew to Portland from her home in Spokane, WA, rented a car to join us, then had to fly back that same evening.  Talk about dedication!


I thought I'd share our little gifts with you.. from left is a sparkly beaded star from Gracie from GraySeaSailor blog that she made.  The next is a FUN SURPRISE - a hand-sewn heart ornament sent from Helen at Moonstruck Creations - all the way from England!  Isn't that sweet of her?  In the back, middle is a creative calendar made by Becky at GrandmaBeckyL blog.  Front and center is Taci at TaciStudio blog who crocheted a wash cloth and made us a cute magnet.  On the far right is Betsy from The Simple Life of a Queen who brought us a shell necklace from her recent trip to Maui, a skein of cotton yarn and an adorable seagull figurine.  Treasures!


Some close ups.. Gracie's handiwork.


Helen's hand-sewn treasure that smells of lavender and a sweet card!


Betsy's cute figurine, yarn and shell necklace.


Becky's calendar - I recognized the photo she used right away - it's the colorful metal chairs at Rasmussen Farms - which she decorated with stickers!  :-)


Taci's magnet and wonderful cotton washcloth.


And here is a funny story for you.  I was inspired by some really neat crochet granny ornament ball covers that I'd seen on other blogs and on pinterest.  SO.. I got 8 pretty red plastic balls and set out to make these for my family and friends.  I got one done.  I thought it looked fairly hideous.  The worst part is the SEAM.. argh!  SO.. I hung this one on my tree and did 2 crocheted netting over 2 balls for friend Shirley and Roberta.. and then gave my friends my crocheted Scandinavian hearts.  I am sure all you crafty people will relate to this fiasco... do you have a similar story to share?


It was time for new shoes... the dog chewed the pull strap on the last pair I got right when I brought them home.. and after wearing them that way for two years or more.. and then I can blame Gracie and her daughter as they were telling me about their new shoes.. and of course I can blame Lucy at Attic24 blog for showing us HER red shoes.. so after swimming on Friday I headed to Shoe Mill near the pool and tried on the kind Gracie got.. but they didn't have RED ONES... I tried on many pairs and was getting ready to give up and then I spied these KEEN shoes, tried them on and they fit wonderfully and bingo, they came home with me.  :-)  What do you think?


Kristi had me open my Christmas present as they will be gone for 4 days over Christmas with her family... isn't it cute?


We're having a mellow day here.. the kids are going to have an early Christmas with her family tomorrow and will be gone (they didn't want to haul all their gifts to the beach for their 4 days there).  So, it will be quiet tomorrow so I might convince Dayle we need to go out to a nice restaurant.  I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  Next week is a big one.. are you ready for it?  I just have a few more gifts to wrap and then we need to do the shopping for our Christmas dinner with our middle son and his family.  All is well!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

23 comments:

  1. Thank you for letting me share such a super get together xxx I love the boys present x

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  2. Bravo! I appreciate what you shared and how you shared it :) I love your new red shoes...now I want some.....hmmmm. Your Mistletoes are precious! As for fiascos when it comes to my projects not matching up with my vision of what they should be, I have frequently had that happen, but I think your ornament looks very festive even if it is not quite what you envisioned. Thanks for posting, Teresa. xx

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  3. Looks like you had a great get-together! Lovely tree and the food looks yummy too (I love Yukon gold potatoes)! You all are very talented ladies:)
    Blessings,
    Aimee
    PS: Not ready at all. Finished the bedroom remodeling last weekend and now we're working on organizing, sorting, cleaning another bedroom (AKA our house's storage unit--LOL). Have a great weekend Teresa!

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  4. Beautiful post Teresa. I still can't believe I only took 3 pictures! I had soooo much fun with you ladies yesterday. I finally got home about 11:40 last. Ight but it was very worth every moment of travel. I adore the time I get to spend with you girls. I have had so many disasters in my crafting. The most recent being a pair of wristwarmers I started on Thursday and ended up ripping them out. I really like your new shoes too. I think I told you that yesterday but my mouth was flapping so much I don't remember for sure. :-). The mistletoes are so cute. Such a sweet idea. Have fun on your dinner out.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  5. Such a lovely post! I always, always love reading about when you all get together. So much fun! Such lovely gifts and a wonderful meal to share with each other, too.

    I am an English knitter. I find it easier to knit this way since I am left handed and can hold the working yarn in my right hand like I do when I crochet. I don't actually throw my yarn, but do a scooping action with my knitting needle under the working yarn, so I can continue to knit and not have to stop to move the yarn over the needle.

    Hope you and your sweet family have a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year, too!

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  6. I am so happy that you had such a wonderful time with the girls. And thank you so much for your kind comments, I'm so pleased you liked my little gift. And that it made it's way safely from England to the US in one piece!

    You are rocking the red shoes Teresa! And the card is so cute, love it!

    Have a lovely Sunday - I am hoping to be doing some last minute sweet making for gifts today.

    Helenxx

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  7. Wonderful post my dear friend. You could say that the gathering was at my house... We had a wonderful time and more memories to share and treasure.

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  8. I forgot to say I love your Christmas gift. How creative and thoughtful.

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  9. Always nice to catch glimses of the lovely Taci - we've been blog friends for years now.

    You've never roasted potatoes before? Here in England, and the UK as a whole, you can't have a roast dinner without roast potatoes!

    Merry Christmas to you both Teresa.

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  10. What a lovely lunch, with wonderful company and pretty and thoughtful gifts. And I love the "mistletoes" too. Your shoes are fantastic, a well deserved seasonal treat. I'm an English knitter as well of course. Wishing you a lovely Sunday. CJ xx

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  11. Your Party looks so sweet. Warmth of friends and little fun gifts. I LOVE the calendar!
    Quiet day here. Guests just left ....but AL remains with us for a week! yippppeeee.
    We seem to be trying new recipes this holiday season and loving them

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  12. Looks like a very fun get-together with fellow bloggers! I wish I could have been there (I used to live in Portland--but that was before I started blogging!).

    I don't know how to knit, but I do crochet.

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  13. As always, it looks like a fun time with all the girls! Loved seeing the table and all the little gifts too. Your shoes are GREAT! Love them. Taci's house looks beautiful. Tomorrow I'm making decorated sugar cookies. Should be interesting since it's always a disaster. I'm awful at it!! It always makes me laugh though, and the cookies taste just as good with ugly decorations as they do pretty ones.

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  14. Looks like fun! Those are Keens? They're SO cute! I love Keen shoes! I haven't seen that style. I've had Keens before and they were SO comfortable and lasted for years and years. My husband's Keens did great too. I've got to go searching for those and see what other new styles they have. How fun! Happy Holidays! :-)

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  15. Oh those shoes are fabulous!! I absolutely love them :-) Lovely to hear about your catch up, you got some lovely gifts. Your bauble isn't hideous by the way, but it might just be the colours that aren't working for you that's all x

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  16. Your blog get-togethers always look so nice. I'm glad you have a chance to visit and enjoy each other's company now and then. I wish there were more bloggers around here where I live but its not really something people seem to do around here. I love all the gifts you exchanged, they're beautiful and made with affection. Your potatoes look delicious. I'm a total sucker for good roasted potatoes and I could eat that whole pan by myself! Ha. Thanks for sharing your recipe and the blog party. :)

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  17. Looks like a wonderful "girl day"! So nice to see some bloggers get together!

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  18. Great post - looks like you had a great day with your firends and got some beautiful gifts. By the way, I made quite a few of your crocheted hearts. You can see them on my blog.

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  19. I love your tradition of getting together with your bloggy friends, also love Betsy's shawl. Great colour and lovely pattern. Your new shoes are nice - very Lucy-ish. I hope you have a very happy Christmas with your family. xox

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  20. What a fabulous idea, a bloggy Christmas Lunch. Looks like a time was had by all! Suzy x

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  21. Looks like you ladies enjoyed a tasty and fun lunch time together. Such lovely presents from all! And I love your new shoes! :)

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  22. What a lovely time you all had together, I am so glad you were able to spend a wonderful afternoon together. Taci looks like a wonderful hostess and all the gifts were so thoughtful. Helen is the best sending something all the way from England!
    And I have to add that I absolutely love those red shoes. I have some red boots I love.
    Hugs to you for this, "thrower".
    Meredith

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  23. Beautiful post about a special lunch with special ladies! I was there is spirit!
    Loved it. And LOVE your new shoes!!!
    xo Kris

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