SMT #55 at Sassy Cheryls

Here it is Tuesday night, and I'm about to miss out on one of my favorite challenges, Show Me Thursday on Sassy Cheryls Blog. Just for posting what you have going on in your life each week and entering it in the Sassy Cheryl's blog, you might win a free Sassy Cheryls image. Just so you know there's another good side to this. You get a chance to nosey around in other people's spaces and therefore, get to know some really talented people and not just in crafting.

This week's SMT for me is all about getting ready for the Swoope Christmas Open House. This is the 27th year my DH and I have hosted his family for Christmas night. It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun. I had my Christmas tree decorated two weeks ago, but the rest of the decorations have been sitting in boxes waiting for my BFF to come over and do her thing. In past years, her DD would do it for me, but she's moved out of town. Well it was worth the wait and in the meantime, I finally started doing some cooking for the party. So here are pictures of what I've been doing all week.

The top picture is fruitcake cookies. These are my DH's favorite cookie and the only cookie that doesn't scream my name. Too bad I can't fix only fruitcake cookies, then I wouldn't have to worry about overeating the wrong thing. The second picture is fudge I made with JDK or Judy's recipe. This one not only screamed my name but jumps up and down and waves at me. First thing this morning after cutting it and getting it in the can, I took it, along with one can of fruitcake cookies(recipe makes like 10 dozen), biscotti and pecan brittle down to the camphouse. At least 3 miles from home, they're not screaming quite as loudly and I can't see them jumping up and down and waving.

I'm a fairly decent cook and I can craft most anything, but decorating is not my forte, so this afternoon, my BFF came over to decorate for me. She didn't make it until about 4:45, but by 6 she was through and my house looks great. One of the things that I wanted her to do was to use antlers from deer my DH has killed through the years(man doesn't get rid of any of them and he's been hunting a LONNNNNNGGGGG time) These are the antlers before and after the transformation.

This picture is of the counted cross-stitched Christmas pieces framed and hung over the sofa. The coffee table has my Fontanini natitivy set. This is the one thing MM has been waiting for me to get set up. If you're looking for the perfect gift that you can continue through the years for a child, may I suggest the 5" Fontanini nativity. The pieces are made in Italy of a resin polymer and hand painted. They don't break and yet they are utterly beautiful. You can add a piece each year.

This is my foyer. The mantle is free standing and not surrounding a fireplace. The mantle was in the parlor in the house where my DH was raised. Before the house fell down, they had a drawing for the mantles and furniture in the house. My SIL actually owns the mantle, but when she moved from Columbus, she took it out of that house, and so far hasn't asked for it back.  The framed angel is cross-stitched and hangs there all the time.

This is a picture of my dining room table and the washstand that are in there. I'll give you a better picture of the table next week, when I post pictures from the Open House with all the food in place.

In the kitchen she worked up this decoration over my kitchen sink. The ornaments are counted cross-stitch that I made many, many years ago. I still have to do the breakfast room table, but that will wait until the day of the party, since we're still eating in there. I'm glad it was dark so you can't see the cobwebs on the outside of the windows.


Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and here's your invite.