****Holiday Planning, 2013****

[Ivy]

Nancy, Breads and this thread go together because it reminded me of something I did once for the holidays. There was an old Betty Crocker Cookbook I had from 1970 or 1971. She had a recipe for holiday yeast bread, braided out into 3 braids. It was then decorated with 1/2 red maraschino cherries and cut up green maraschino cherries as "leaves". Then you poured a glaze over it. I made 1 for a family get-together at Dmil's, for our neighbor-friends and another couple we'd known from church, who the wife was an extremely close friend of mine. The recipe, I've seen in magazines, too. It probably wouldn't be hard to find. Anyway, it was a huge hit!

[Nancy]

The bread I sent to work with h. Was a hit, next time it needs to be sliced or a knife en goes with it. They figured it out most places have a knife I figure because they do Hoilday foods. Last year I was the cookie person. Some one else did fudge and I am not sure what else.

[Ivy]

I worked on dgrson-4.5-yrs. Christmas afghan tonight. This is the pattern:

One single large Granny square afghan done in rounds:
Center 5 rounds are red
Then there is 1 white row,
followed by 1 black row,
followed by 1 white row,
and then I go back to 3 rows red, 1 row white, 1 row black, 1 row white, 3 rows red.

It looks like a race car flag! Or an Avon lady going door to door in Alaska! Black,white and red all over. It's a grade school joke. (I need to act my age!)

[Ivy]

I'm on row 18 now, need 42 total and then row 42 will be edging. I might do a picot since it's for a boy, or a different stitch I need to look up, which is on another baby afghan, so I have an idea how it goes. Need to look through my pattern binders.

[ellyphant]

I have a good start on Christmas shopping. Have been wrapping things as I get them. Have always loved wrapping gifts. Was lucky enough to get DMIL's big stash of wrapping paper and ribbons when their house was emptied recently. Other family members would have thrown it all away. Told Dh I am so happy with my inheritance!

[Harriet]

ellyphant, what a wonderful, creative inheritance! So glad to see you posting with us today. Have missed you.

My progress today was to make up a sample Christmas card on Zazzle.com and have it sent to us. If we like it, we're through with shopping for that and can just order more. If not, I guess we're back to square one, but it's still early.

[ellyphant]

Thank you, Harriet! I will be wrapping more and using fewer gift bags this year due to all the beautiful paper I now own! DMIL bought the thick, good stuff--not the cheapest or whatever was on clearance as I always did. There was so much that Dd and I split it, but I just may have a lifetime supply!

I am thinking of not doing Christmas cards this year except for immediate family. Will wish everyone else Merry Christmas via FB. Can't believe I feel this way as I was always a card fanatic. We will see...

[Ivy]

Correction: The center red rows on dgrson-4.5 yrs. afghan are 3 red rows and I stick with 3 red rows on and off throughout the pattern. I'm on row 25, need 42, but may go to 40 and then do 1 row SC, 1 row HDC, and 1 row SC for edging for the last 3 rows to finish off the afghan to the 42 row size. It's for a boy, so if I scalloped the edging, I think his Dmom would faint, as it looks girly-girl to have scalloped edgings. The contrasts on the SC-HDC-SC edging will be a nice dramatic appeal at the end, too.

I'm off to try to finish this little afghan by midnight, if I CAN.

[Nancy]

I got 2 thanks giving cards will send one to my mom and a pen pal.

[Ivy]

I'm putting the edging onto the afghan for grson-4.5-yrs now. I'm making it black 1 row, 1 row white, repeat until it's a good side. Also, I'm crocheting in each stitch of the granny and ch-1's between the granny stitches to make the edging more dramatic. It will look very sharp. He'll love it, I'm sure. ♥