This was a lovely work week because it was slow and filled with a few holiday festivities. We had our office potluck and ornament exchange. The door decorating contest was a huge success and my fellow nurses won with an exceptional Santa door. I am thinking of how I can step up the competition next year!
I decided to take my usual ez meatballs in a crock pot for the luncheon. I purchased teriyaki sauce. OMG, I realized the night before I didn’t have my old crock pot! My husband says it is on the front porch. I find a brand-new crock pot in a box because the old pot the element burned out. The box for the crock pot that I found is quite old and had a price tag from Walmart of 19$. It must have come from his mother’s things after she passed. It was brand new in a box and I had no idea if the crock pot worked!!! I took a chance and unboxed it, took it to work hoping it would all pan out. It did work and the meat balls were a hit because I didn’t have any to bring home! Costco meatballs are really good and I would highly recommend them for your fast and easy dish to pass.
This was the week for Christmas things. I set up my little tabletop tree. I bought some tiny sparkle snowflakes to add to the small ornaments I had started in my “new” small ornament collection in the past couple of years. I have not brought my big tree up with all of my lifetime collection of ornaments since prior to the pandemic. Somehow, I just can’t do it. Too many memories and the job is too big ogf a task to haul all of the boxes filled with dust to the main floor. I decided that I will keep decorating simple and I put up a Christmas bunting, wreaths, got the old Santa mugs out for the tier tray and some fairy lights. It makes it festive, and I love it.
We also mailed the box out to the grandkids. The shopping was simple this year. Gift cards and gift baskets. I have been really hit by the overwhelming number of things I have, and my family says they have too. With the economy the way it has been, yet the pressure for excessive spending, buying and consuming, we decided not to do that this year. I think there are great ways to celebrate, be kind, give small loving gifts without over doing it. I am pleased with the smaller scaled back Christmas gift giving. I also did no handmade gifts because I couldn’t and that was ok, too.
I watched my favorite version of A Christmas Carol this week. Patrick Stewart plays Scrooge, and it also helps me to focus on what is really important. I have started it’s a Wonderful Life and I hope to watch that this season also. I purchased tickets for a great online trunk show by Stash bandit called Jingle Bells. She shared all of her holiday themed scrap quilts and what made each of them successful, why some were not and some great tips in making scrap quilts. So inspiring to use what I have and making something beautiful is possible!
Banner day, I opened a fresh coffee. I love breaking the seal of a fresh coffee can. It’s lovely. I can smell it a little today and look forward to the first cup of coffee. Makes a great start to the morning.
Our snow had mostly melted over the past couple of weeks; however, it is cold this morning and we are getting fresh snow today. It’s a perfect day to work on my quilt blocks, cross stitch a bit and enjoy. I am feeling much better since I had the flu last week. I am not going to over do it and just rest as much as I can.
I hope you have a lovely, peaceful day!
Vicki
mycreativecorner3.com 
Happy surprise about the crock pot! I gave mine up to save space when I got my Instant Pot which has a slow cooker option. But I sure used it!
You should just take the big tree to your favorite thrift store. And before Xmas so someone can happily use it. The little one is a much better idea for you with all your cute smaller things you are making. So glad you are feeling better so you can keep doing what you love.
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Donating the tree us a good idea and that would be a great job for my husband to drag it out of the basement. Then I can consolidate the ornaments down to a smaller manageable collection !
I love my instant pot and i have an airfryer lid for it! Love! I am wondering if I can make my scalloped potatoes in the instant pot???? Hmmmmm a great thing to research!
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Crock pot dishes are the best for office potlucks – well, after desserts, anyway. My go to for the office potluck was always Nanaimo Bars. They are fiddly to make, but well worth it, in my opinion.
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I must try the bars! I have heard that they are fantastic. I saw the list of folks who “signed up” for desserts. I needed simple this year, in the past I have done homemade scalloped potatoes. Then there was the year I wasn’t thinking and I put the crock pot on the seat vs the floor…. disaster happened and the crock pot flew off the seat and spilled all over the car. That was a mess let me tell you!!
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Glad you’re feeling better; The flu is wicked this year!
What type of crock pot did you find? I had gotten one for Christmas back in the 80s and after about 20 years decided I wanted the new kind with the timer. That was a mistake; the control panel went out quickly but before it did, I discovered that even on the low setting I would come home to find the food just on the edge of boiling. Once it died, I searched eBay for the manual kind I originally had and was lucky to find one that was brand new (you could tell it had never been used). I grabbed it up and am never getting rid of it!
I have not been crafting anything but hope to start a panel quilt this weekend for FIL. It’s planned to be 71 x 81 and I’m not sure how I’m going to quilt it. I don’t know how I’ll get it all in my home machine! I know you long-arm, but before you did, how did you handle large quilts? Did you try QAYG?
Lots of questions! Have a merry Christmas!
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Thanks for commenting!! I found an “Original Crockpot” brand, however, it is digital and I agree the old manual ones are my favorite. This one worked well but it has timers on it. It was a great find though.
I have only done quilt as you go on a small scale. Before I got a long arm, I quilted on my machine with a free motion quilting foot. It can be done but it takes time and basting. I also sent quilts out to a long armer for special occasions.
I hope you are able to get your quilt done! Have a wonderful holiday season!!
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Glad you are over the flu, Vicki. Praying you and yours have a blessed holiday season. I’m still loving your podcast. I’m a little sad now, though, because I’ve caught up, lol. They are great to listen to while sewing.
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Thank you so much, Gail! I am planning on more podcasts and videos . I have been thinking about what to talk about and what to feature. I hope to get another podcast finished before the new year! Thank you so much for your support and virtual coffees, too! Merry Christmas and Happy new year!
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