I Like Thursday #187

 I have been MIA the past few weeks when it comes to I Like Thursday.  I have been working a lot, and sometimes holidays are tough.  I survived, though and am looking forward to 2022.  Thank you LeeAnna for encouraging us, even through the hard times, to find things to share that we like/love to share.  

I enjoyed the Virtual Cookie exchange and had to try a couple of new recipes.  Believe me I gained the 5 lbs to show it too!  

I made the Lemon Snowball cookies which was shared by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt.  I bought a really good lemon flavoring from a new local cake and cookie shop, and I will say it made a world of difference adding to the lemon taste.  

I also made the oreo truffles which were shared by Joan of Moosestash Quilting.  They were so fun, and simple to make especially if you have a Cuisinart.  My daughter said that the kids didn't even give her a chance to sample them once they brought them home.

With the previous year's problems with shipping, this year I decided to just do gift cards for my family in Oregon.  I bought a whole lot of gift card holders too.  With every 3 cards I purchased I could get a free plushie.   I ended up with 4 plushies, which I thought I would donate to Toys for Tots.  Except every time I turned around Bobbin was digging through the bag and stealing a toy.  

My daughter finally just handed her a toy, the day she came to pick up the bag to take to donate.  I tried to explain to Bobbin that it means that some poor child will not get a toy for Christmas.  Obviously Bobbin didn't really care.  

I had to buy Bobbin a new pet fountain. Not too shabby the previous one lasted over 3 years.  

I received some really neat gifts.  

Some decorations and fabric from Barbara of Wont to be Quilter.

Dawn of Relaxing Robin sent me 12 days of Christmas.

A cute Christmasy Mug Rug

A cute pinnie with a milk can

My kids have decided that I should be traveling more too.  I received some neat gifts related to travel.

A survival knife, cordless charger, and a solar power bank.  I also received a National Park pass.  

And a really neat Red Truck.

My brother's family sent us all personalized water bottles.  

I tried to avoid too many purchases but I was looking for one of those neat boxes they sell during the holidays to put the huge pile of cookie cutters we have amassed in, since they kind of outgrew the box that we had previously.  While out and about I found this really cool red glass Christmas tree.

I also found the box!

I haven't been doing much sewing with my crazy schedule, but I started to put together the Joy in the Journey quilt.  I managed to get 1 1/2 rows done today, even though I had a ton of cleaning to do....putting Christmas decorations away, laundry and other fun tasks.  

I have done a lot of reading.  A few of the books I have read.

Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton.  Lori thought that Aunt Dimity was a fictional character of her mother's made up stories.  Then Lori receives a letter and comes to realize that Aunt Dimity was actually a friend of her mother's, and is given the task of writing a preface to a book full of her stories. Lori is given all the correspondence between her mother and Dimity, begins to explore why Dimity never married, after finding a mysterious photograph in the letters.  

The next book was Bear Witness by J. and D. Bruges.  It is the 2nd book in the Naomi Manymules Mysteries.  

 A Hollywood production is coming to small Sage Landing with a load of high maintenance stars.  Add an old boyfriend of Naomi's and a missing star, who had a bar fight with the high school principle that turns up dead and there are lots of suspects.  

Now head over to LeeAnna's at Not Afraid of Color to check out the other I Like Thursday posts. 

I Like Thursday #186

 Welcome to my 186th I Like Thursday post.  Each week a group of bloggers post things that we have found we like/love during the week.  Our intention is to put a little positive out into the universe.  Thank you LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for encouraging us to continue with this weekly spot.  

I finished the final block for the QAL I have been doing with my friend called Joy in the Journey.  This is called Broken wheel.  Now to figure out how all of these different sized blocks go together.  

I wanted to try a new project so grabbed some Christmas fabrics, but couldn't find enough that I thought went together.  I don't think I am happy with the result.  I haven't glued it together yet, so I can still change it up. I think I may take out the yellow and add another set of white.  What is it about Christmas prints, it seems that they are always large scale.  I will admit the red was not a Christmas print, but I kind of liked the fabric.  A Lot! Perhaps I will pull the green and the yellow and do a blue and white instead. 

Wow we are already 9 days into December.  I have all my Christmas presents for the west coast purchased.  I need to wrap a few things then get them mailed.  But while prepping for Christmas I decided to do some baking on my days off.  

I made some Russian Teacakes (oops forgot to get a pic), some awesome molasses ginger cookies which I have been told are super yummy (again forgot to get a pic), crown jewel cookies with and without nuts-  it is hard to find cookie recipes without nuts for the kid with the nut allergies. 

Peanut butter blossoms.  The recipe is from my ex MIL who passed away earlier this year.

I like making these peanut butter cup cookies.

What is even better are these super cute little paper cups which I use in my tiny muffin tins which I had found on closeout last year, and put them away--and I could find them when I was ready to bake.  That is a huge win in my book.

If you are looking for more cookie ideas head over to Just Let Me Quilt.  For the past 9 years Carol has hosted a virtual cookie exchange, and there are so many awesome recipes to be had.  

I read a lot of books and at times I see recipes, and wonder....are they any good?  I just finished a book called Wheeler Dealer by Rita Moreau and there were a bunch of recipes in the back.  I decided to try the Kahlua Cake recipe. 

The cake turned out moist and yummy.  The downside is that I picked up a towel that had fallen on the floor and it was full of Bobbin hair and it got onto the cake.  So the majority of the cake was thrown away, because it was chocolate it couldn't even go to the chickens or pigs.  :(

As to the book.  I have found a genre of books-- women who are living and traveling in trailers instead of waiting for life to happen.  

Mabel Gold isn't too sure what happened, her plastic surgeon husband of 40 years just traded her in for a blonde, gold digging bimbo younger than their  youngest daughter, and Mabel has retreated to Florida.  But living in a retirement community isn't Mabel's idea of a good time and when her friend Lili suggests that she travel with her and her husband, Mabel likes the idea of travel, just not being a 3rd wheel in an RV.  So Mabel buys herself a vintage Airstream trailer and a brand new truck named Thor to set off on the open road with Lili and her hubby and some other campers.   Their first stop is Savannah and when one of their number is found dead, the trip is put on hold and Mabel and Lili are determined to find out who killed the man.  Oh did I mention that Mabel's trailer is haunted by an ex showgirl/madam trying to earn her way out of purgatory. 

My fun find of the week at work is this super cute reindeer cup.  I would love to have it, but I am trying to put my acquisitions on hold since the more I have, the more I have to pack when the kids are ready to move.  

My Christmas Cactus looks like it is ready to bloom.  

The other book that I enjoyed this week is An Eggnog to Die For by Amy Pershing.  It is Christmas in Fair Harbor on Cape Cod and food critic Samantha Barnes is in for a rough holiday.  Her parents are coming to visit for the holidays, her boyfriend Jason Captiva seems to be preoccupied, and Samantha just found Santa dead in the office of the new restaurant she is reviewing, The Ginger Jar.  Will Samantha survive the holidays, and her family visit and solve the murder of Santa?  

 Please keep Oxford, Michigan in your thoughts and prayers.  The more that comes out about this school shooting the scarier the world seems. It makes my heart hurt.  Pray for the families of the victims.  

Have a fabulous week, and head over to LeeAnna's to check out the other I Like Thursday posts!