Friday, November 26, 2010

Thankful...and it's Friday!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving yesterday at our daughter's boyfriend's parents' home.  It was a nice afternoon spent with friendly folks, enjoying great food—turkey, of course, but also prime rib and roast leg of lamb.  I had some of each, and seconds on the lamb, which was particularly scrumptious.  I've not eaten much lamb before, other than in gyros.  So I pumped T.'s grandma on how to make it and she shared her recipe, which involves whole garlic cloves tucked into the meat, lemons, a roasting bag, and a 325-degree oven.  Yum!

My contribution to dinner was a broccoli and grape salad, sweet potato casserole, and gluten-free pecan pie (that's a link to my favorite GF crust recipe).  And now what remains of said pie keeps calling me, but I'm just going to keep my hands busy here on the keyboard and ignore its sticky-sweet beckoning for now.  La-la-la-la-la, I can't hear you...

The official tally of gathered clutches completed is 17, and I am officially done with making them for now.  Here are the final ones made this week.  

I have a new favorite.  Can you guess which one?  If you said the red and black, you're right! 

Now it's on to other things on the holiday sewing to-do list.  

SPOILER ALERT:  If you are a family member and participate in our Dirty Santa gift exchange, you should stop reading/scrolling now, close your browser or click on to the next site, go finish lunch or laundry or whatever you're procrastinating on, read the newspaper, Google a medical malady, play a game on your iPhone, etc.  Nothing more here for you to see.  Nope, nada.  'K, I love you, bye-bye!
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Sew...I made a set of pillowcases with this fun Alexander Henry "Phil's Drive-In" print.  I am hoping they end up with a certain person who's into hot rods and retro babes, etc., but we play the Dirty Santa game, so one never knows who will get what until the final gift is stolen or unwrapped.  We also allow voluntary swapping at the end of play.  

Anyway, I auditioned two fabrics for the pillowcase borders yesterday morning, a blue and a red. After garnering a couple of opinions, I went with the Kona "Ocean."  

Instead of taking a nap after we got home yesterday, I cut out the pillowcases and put them together.  So cute!  I had enough fabric for three, which was a good thing, because I put an incorrect-sized border on the first pillowcase, which I did not notice until I had made the second one correctly.  That is what happens when you sew in a post-Thanksgiving, semi-food-coma state.  Or maybe it was the two glasses of wine, I can't say for sure.

What I can say for sure is that I truly am thankful for so many blessings—family, friends, abundance, love, the gift of time—to sew, cook, laugh—and for a day spent acknowledging and enjoying those blessings.  Hope you had a good day too!

6 comments:

Keetha Broyles said...

17 clutches! You are THE WOMAN!!!! I love pecan pie and had a nice little slice of it yesterday, though I've never personally made any.

I too carried a broccoli dish to our Thanksgiving gathering - - - only mine was a broccoli casserole. YUM, if I do say so myself!

Elizabeth said...

That red & black clutch is my new favorite too. You are amazing! They are all really beautiful. I love the flowered/plaid one on the bottom, too.

The pillowcases are really fun. Your Dirty Santa sounds like a blast. We're doing something like that this year, too, so you've given me a couple of ideas! Thanks a bunch!

I took pie to Thanksgiving this year too -- apple, cherry & pumpkin. So fun!

xo -El

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

Good choice for the pillowcase border color. As for the border size mix-up, at least you didn't sew your finger:)

Shay said...

I saw that red and black one and thought "I'm in love "...and then read it was your fave too!

yep...17 clutches, you're either insane or a purse guru. take your pick.

And didnt you learn last week when you werent drunk sewing about the dangers of running over your own finger with a needle? You like to live dangerously girl. The pillowcases look like such a fun gift.

Come to Australia. Lamb is abundant. We eat it at least once a week. I do a mean lamb roast and the best loin chops ever on the BBQ.

Sarah Craig said...

Isn't it funny that your fave seems to be everyone else's too - me included!! It really is striking!! And I love those pillowcases - what great fabric! Glad you had a great Thanksgiving!!

Michelle said...

Those clutches are just like a rainbow pile! 17! My gosh, Gal, but you were kicking some clutch butt. And yes, I did guess that the red and black would be your favorite.

What fun pillowcases! Somebody is going home with a great gift. Can't wait to hear who ends up with them. I have a feeling they might get stolen. :-)