Monday, December 17, 2012

Primitive Christmas!

Hello Friends!  I hope this finds you all ready for Christmas! Is all your shopping and decorating done? Would you believe that I have not started shopping?  I did buy one gift for my Daughters stocking yesterday. And I did make my husband a quilt! What is the age when most people don't have stockings for grown children? Ha ha!  I thought I would tell you all about my favorite family traditions!

The first tradition is when I was growing up!  Our family went out to the woods to get a tree every year. I have four siblings, a brother and 3 sisters. We also had a dog, and it was the only time we saw Mom touch the dog! She would pick her up so someone could wipe her feet to put her in the station wagon after running through the woods! Its amazing "Tippy" never ran away at the tree farms, because anytime you opened the door at home, she was gone in a flash! We always sang in the car together, the whole family!  We put out tree up on Christmas eve.  Mom worked in the kitchen making our Ham for after Christmas eve service. After the tree was all decorated, she would come in and put her special cotton spun pear ornament on the tree! She gave me the pear a few years ago to add to my old glass ornament collection. I told her I would only take it now under one condition. That is if she puts it on my tree every year! So when our family all gets together at the next tradition I'll tell you about, she puts it on my tree! Here are a few pictures!
This is Me (on right) and Gretchen (who took this picture?) at Christmas in about 1978! How about those feetsie Pajamas! The doggie was our second pet, Sonny! He was so soft!
This picture, is us three Primitive Quilts magazine owners: Judy on left, Me in the middle, and Gretchen on the right! The baby is Leah, our office manager! She is who you usually talk to if you call the Magazine! Leah is Judy's daughter! How about that sweater I'm wearing! Ha ha! I think this picture was taken around 1985, you probably guessed that by Gretchen's hair and my sweater though!
This is Moms cotton spun pear ornament! I love it, but unfortunately Chester my dog loves it too! When we were shooting the Winter issue 2012 at my house this summer, I had it in a couple shots on the tree's in my house. I had laid it on the table after the shot, and Chester who was just a year old, jumped up and had it in his mouth! Now one side of it is a little yucky. Darn it! I was so sad.  Needless to say, it isn't out at all, until Mom puts it up high on the tree this Friday! Which leads me to the next tradition and my favorite of all now!

About 20 years ago, my sister Sally and I decided to start a tradition our kids would look forward to. Everyone in our family sings and plays an instrument. Mostly guitars! So we had our little kids at the time decorate construction paper song book covers, and Sally typed all the songs up with guitar chords, for every Christmas song we could think of! We use them every year, when everyone comes to my house for the "Annual Falcsik (my maiden name) Family, Potluck dinner, Sing-a-long Christmas party! Everyone brings an instrument, and we sing, sing and eat!  This year is our 20th annual party! Here are a few pictures! I wish they were better!

 
We sure have a lot of fun! Our party is this coming Friday night, and I am really looking forward to it! I'll take some new shots for a new post this weekend!

Okay, on to the ornament pattern for you, and the recipe!

This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law, Kasondra. Her Mother-in-Law gave it to her! It is now my husbands favorite! The batch I made for the blog hop photo is now gone! I will have to make more this evening for our party on Friday! I hope you enjoy it, and that it becomes your favorite also!
 

YUM!!!!

Now for the ornament! I played around with this idea, and I hope you will like it! It is a cute little sheep ornament made from a Christmas carol scanned onto Cotton fabric to put through your ink jet printer! I have it all scanned and made, you just print it out on Cotton fabric, cut and sew! The song is Silent Night, from a very very old Sunday School book I found at an antique store! After I made my sheep, I aged him with some strong coffee spray!  My sheep is wearing a red wool collar with a tiny key hanging from it! The "key" to remember this season, is the Lamb of God was born Christmas night!


I have another sheep ornament pattern on the Primitive Quilts and Projects website. It is smaller in size, and made from wool. There are also other ornament patterns to download there! Remember to print this pattern out on Computer cotton fabric, and use tiny stitches on your machine, because it is pretty thin fabric, and it will make it easier to turn inside out once you sew it! Save the pattern picture to your computer documents, then print. If you just print from the blog, it will come out smaller. (if for some reason the pattern doesn't download, I'll fix it when I get to the shop today, where Gretchen, will help me!)
Have a wonderful Christmas!!!
Be sure to check out the next stop on the blog hop on Wednesday!  Lisa Bongean, Primitive Gatherings!

Have a Very Merry Christmas!!!
    Jeni
 

27 comments:

  1. what great memories you have with your photos..Love the music fabric used in the oranment. thanks for sharing with us.

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    1. Thank you Sue, and you are so welcome! It was fun to do!
      Jeni

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  2. Your ornament is very cute. Thank you for sharing the print out. I loved reading about your Christmas Family Traditions and seeing those old photos. I remember my daughter wanting a similar sweater in purple and black back in the 80's (probably 85) when she was in 6th grade. She couldn't wait to wear it to school and no one liked it...she never wore it again!!! Thanks for the memories!

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    1. Colleen,You're welcome, and thank you! I feel for your daugher! Poor thing! I hope she recovered from that! lol!
      Jeni

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  3. Hi Jeni! (and girls!)
    Merry Christmas to you & yours :)) Thank you for the recipe & ornie pattern...I will make a couple up for our tree ~
    Blessed be!
    Lori from Notforgotten Farm

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    1. Merry Christmas to you and your family also, Lori! You're welcome for the pattern and recipe! I hope you enjoy making them!
      Jeni

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  4. I loved sharing your Christmas with you. :D I'm so envious of all of that talent in one room, including musical talent. :) Thank you so much for the recipe AND the sheep ornament. My friend will absolutely love it. I personally am in love with your hubby's Christmas present. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

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    1. Thank you so much, Angie! We do have fun singing together! Funny thing is that we do it Ray Coniff style! Haha! Much laughter! Our parents are wonderful, and the reason we probably all love to sing and laugh! Enjoy the sheep ornament and recipe! I think my husbby will love his quilt too!! I can't wait to give it to him! Merry Christmas to you and yours also!
      Jeni

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  5. What a wonderful post and family photos.
    I do have some sheep patterns and I bought some fabric with words on it for christmas, another thing to make for next year.

    Debbie

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    1. Thank you very much, Debbie! I enjoyed doing the post and going through old pictures! It was fun finding the sweet old Sunday school hymnal, and picking a song to scan for the fabric! I hope to play with more little projects like that! Good day in the sewing room!
      Jeni

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  6. Have a wonderful time at your party, thanks for sharing your darling Lamb and treats.

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    1. Thank you, Carrie, and you are welcome! I hope you enjoy the pattern and cookies if you make them!
      Jeni

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  7. Thanks for sharing. What wonderful memories of Christmas past - and what wonderful memories you're making for the future.

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    1. You're welcome, Kay, and thank you very much! I can't wait for our party Friday night! It's my favorite day of the season! We are all together singing and having fun!
      Jeni

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  8. Thanks for sharing your family christmas time and have and Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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    1. You're welcome, Rosa, and thank you!!!
      Jeni

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  9. Thanks for the ornament and recipe--the cinnamon balls sound delish!!

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    1. Thank you Karen! I plan on making more today for our employee and helpers Christmas party tomorrow night! And clean my house! Haha!
      Jeni

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  10. I am unable to find anywhere in your blog where it says to download the sheep ornament or instructions on how to make the ornament. This becomes quite frustrating. Please help a fellow quilter figure this out? Thank you

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    1. Hi Sandy, sorry about the trouble you are having. I am a bit computer challanged! If you click on the pattern and print, it comes out a little smaller than the original. So if you want it the actual size, right click on it, and choose "save to" and save it to your desktop or documents, and give it a name so you can find it! Then when you open it up in your program you can print it out the actual size on the cotton computer fabric! The instructions are right on the page you print out! Hope that helps! If not, email me and I will email it to you! That I can do!!
      Thanks, Jeni

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  11. Hi ! Tried out the cookies...tasted fine but were a big flop....I suspect the flour, butter and sugar ratio is wrong...please check the measurements ! Glad I didn't double them !
    Marilyn

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    1. I just made a batch last night from what the online recipe said, since my puppy ate the original! My husband has some in his lunch so he'll tell me how they turned out! Did you use real butter? That is the key!! Yum!
      Jeni

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    2. Yep..real butter...1 1/2 cup flour was just not enough . They were flat and
      and soft and chewy. Mind you they taste good...just not what I expected from the photo. I worked extra flour into second pt of dough and they formed up ok.

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    3. Hi Marilyn, my husband said they were very good, and shared them with guys at work, who also loved them. I wonder....... I don't really sift my dry ingredients, just stir them in. Wonder if that makes much of a difference? I do use the exact measurements as on the print out. I leave my dough in the fridge to cool for at least half the day. I usually mix it up in the morning, then bake after work, if I don't have the day off! I'm glad your second batch turned out better! So buttery and sugary!!
      Merry Christmas!
      Jeni

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  12. Your little lamb is soooo cute! Thank You for the pattern and the recipe!!!

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    1. Thank you very much,and you are welcome, Bridgidk!
      Jeni

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