Gooseberry Patch Christmas book 5

 

I’ve shared reviews of a number of Christmas books put out by Gooseberry Patch  -- lovely, hardback comb-bound books. 

 But there are other, numbered, G’berry Patch Christmas books, published by Leisure Arts, that are every bit as nice. They contain some of the same recipes and projects, and a good many extra ones as well. These books also contain wonderful photos of the foods and projects that are included. I’ve come by these in different ways -- mailings from Leisure Arts (most expensive way); using 40%-50% off coupons at Jo-ann Fabrics; buying the paperback version at Wal*Mart; and finding them at consignment shops or Thriftbooks (cheapest way). 

I have gotten my money’s worth out of every one of these. (I own all 16 of these numbered Christmas books.)  Book 5 is is pictured above.  Isn't the cover fun?  Christmas  cookies and fudge spilling out of a red tissue paper-lined plaid lunchbox, green homespun checks, bottle brush trees!  The subtitle reads, "Holiday Recipes, Cheery Gifts, & Ideas for Flurries of Fun!"

This may be the only such book in my collection from which I've made no projects yet and only one recipe -- Coconut Joys.

But that doesn't mean I don't intend to!  One fall, on a relaxing getaway, I sat by a lake in the sun and went through this book page by page.  I made a list of crafts and recipes to try, and came up with no less than ten craft projects and ten recipes I wanted to try.

The Season's Greetings wall hanging will be a must -- these would make wonderful gifts! The Scalloped Mantel Scarf and Christmas Village look like such fun.  The Applique Flannel Stockings look delightful.  Even though in our empty-nest household we don't hang stockings any more, I still am drawn to them as decorative elements and am very likely to make some of these.

 I'm all about food gifts at Christmas.  We have people we routinely gift with treats -- everything from granola to mixes, cookies to muffins.  The  Country Morning Maple Muffins look like a good pick for a kitchen gift.  And the Barbecue Pecans would be perfect for a few men on my list who don't care for sweets.   Wake-Up Scones, which include gingersnap crumbs and an espresso glaze, also sound wonderful.

For Christmas breakfast, Sunrise Ham is made in a pie plate and seems like an ultra-hearty crustless quiche.  Warm Country Gingerbread Waffles sound amazing as well!

Cheery Chocolate Dots, topped with chocolate kiss candies, might be a fun addition to our Christmas cookie line-up.  And I won't be waiting for Christmas to try Raspberry Crunch Cheesecake!

This book includes five basic sections -- Christmas Memories; Sparkles and Wishes; Wrap Up the Holidays; Goodies for Giving; and Festive Fare.  There are loads of projects and decorating ideas and a very generous amount of recipes, along with lovely photography.  I highly recommend this book (along with all of the Gooseberry Patch Christmas books) and hope this little review has been helpful and inspiring.

Christmas in July at Gooseberry Patch!

 

 Yes, starting July 25th, and running through Sunday,  July 30, Gooseberry Patch is having their Christmas in July sale!  If you've visited here much at all, you know of my love for Gooseberry Patch, their cookbooks and special Christmas books.  (You can even find a label in the label cloud just for Gooseberry Patch, and I've also reviewed many of their books here on the blog.)  Right now their Christmas in July sale is featuring their products for up to 70% off.

There are 73 items on sale, including some Christmas books but also lots of their regular cookbooks.  I'll just share a few.  You will want to check it out for yourself.

Christmas Cookie Jar, for example, is only $4.  I own this book (different format) and it's full of great cookie recipes.

 I'll Be Home for Christmas is $7.  (Regular price $17.95.)

Autumn Recipes from the Farmhouse has a stunningly beautiful cover.  I've never seen this one.  It's  only $7.

Christmas Comfort Foods is also $7 and looks like another good one.

And there are dozens more!  Head on over and do some Christmas shopping, why don't you?

A repost from 2014: The Animals' Merry Christmas

 

Today I received a comment on this 2014 post, so I had to share it again for those who may have missed it back then.  I think you'll agree that the two comments on this post are very interesting and have a common thread though they were posted years apart. 

 When our kids were young, we had the equivalent of this book contained within one of a four-volume set of Richard Scarry anthologies.  If your kids or grandkids are not familiar with Richard Scarry, they (and you!) are missing out.  His art and stories are both fantastic and so much fun for kids.

This Little Golden Book (copyright 1950, 1958) actually was written by Kathryn B. Jackson, but the pictures are all Richard Scarry, and just beautiful.  The book contains four Christmas stories:  Mr. Hedgehog's Christmas Present, The Singing Christmas Tree, The Cold Little Squirrel, and The Long-Ago Donkey.  It also includes two Christmas poems: Green Christmas and A Very Small Christmas.

The poem Green Christmas was a favorite of my children, so I will quote it here:

Green Christmas

"It's almost Christmas, and still no snow!"

Cry the woodland creatures.  "We still can go

Out of our houses to search for roots

And seeds in the dry grass, and maybe shoots

Of fern and fennel that think it's spring.

We may find acorns -- 'most anything

That's good to eat may be in sight

For Christmas dinner, on such a night,

When the ground is bare of ice and snow,

And stars are bright, and the winds don't blow.

Hurrah for Christmas and still no snow!"

"It's almost Christmas, and still no snow!"

Sigh the townsfolk, wishing the wind would blow.

"Our doors are wreathed with pine and holly,

And our Christmas trees would look extra jolly

Blazing with lights -- if the snow came down

Deep and white all over the town!

Why doesn't the sky go wooly gray?

Why doesn't it snow for Christmas Day?

It's not like Christmas without some snow!"

Sigh the townsfolk, wishing the wind would blow --

BUT -- 

"Hurrah for Christmas and still no snow!"

Cry the woodland creatures, and out they go.

-- Kathryn B. Jackson

Such a fun poem.  Helps kids to see that there may be more than one side to a story!

If you've not seen this book, I'm pretty sure you could find one on eBay or Etsy.  With its four separate stories and two poems, it would be a great addition to your family's library of Christmas books! 

Here are the comments on this post:

 

To me it's fascinating that the two comments on this post are from people who loved the poem I shared from the book -- loved it in years gone by, one person as a teacher and the other as a child -- and were so happy to find it again.  I'm glad I could be part of helping them find a lost memory.

 

Book review: The Farm Chicks Christmas

 

 I was putting away some of my Christmas books today (not all -- I am still going through some of them) and it occurred to me that I might share a review of one of my favorites, The Farm Chicks Christmas.  This is a Country Living book and the author is Serena Thompson.  This was not even a book that I was aware of until I won a hardcover copy in a giveaway.  After I received the book and paged through it, I knew that this was a book both of my daughters would enjoy -- so I went to Thriftbooks and found a copy for each of them.  So now I'd like to share this fun book with all of you.

In all honesty, I don't think I have ever heard of The Farm Chicks prior to winning this book.  You can learn more about them here: The Farm Chicks.  And you can learn the fascinating life story of author Serena Thompson here: About Serena.  This is a gorgeous book full of decorating ideas, traditions, recipes, and much more.  And all incredibly photographed!

Honestly, I wish that I could share each and every photo with you, but of course I can't.  I will content myself with simply going through the table of contents and sharing the highlights of the book with you.  I'll add in a few vintage-y images of my own, because the photography and design of this book are just glorious and I won't even try to scan the pages to show you.

The book is divided into two parts: The Spirit of the Season with 2 chapters; and At Home for the Holidays with 7 chapters.

In The Spirit of the Season, the first chapter is called 'Tis lovely to give.  It is filled with ideas and traditions from Serena's childhood and from her life now with her husband Colin and their children.

The second chapter is called A Visit to the Tree Farm and tells about the Thompson family's annual Christmas tree hunting tradition with friends.  The last 2 pages in this chapter contain many warm beverage recipes, titled "Ways to Ward Off the Chill".  There's spiced cider, hot mocha, chai latte and more.

A vintage milk bottle cap!

 
In the section At Home for the Holidays, the first chapter is Holiday Welcome.  It includes dozens of ideas for front porches and other outdoor decorating and how to make every corner bright.    There are even patterns -- for example, one for a holiday scalloped bunting made out of assorted fabrics in Christmas colors.

The next chapter is The Decorated Tree.  This includes photos of four different decorated Christmas trees, a lovely story about a tinfoil star, and directions for making sweet tree trims like snowball pompom ornaments and silhouette ornaments.  It also has a page of fun ways of displaying vintage Christmas light bulbs and balls.  If I remember, I'll do a jar of vintage light bulbs for next year!

This chapter also has a section called The Gift of Giving, which includes many ideas for gift wrap, gift card holders, and festive shipping ideas.  

The next chapter is called Wreaths and Garlands.  It includes many fun ideas, and pages of glorious photos.  There are instructions for making a sweet paper garland  and a wreath made from balls of yarn.  The section Make Every Corner Bright gives many ideas for decorating with greenery and other natural accents.

 The chapter Cupboards and Corners is next.     It includes page after page of beautifully inspiring photos, and also fun crafts like colorful cone trees and a wrapping paper village.  There's a feature on Christmas collections, too.  There is SO much inspiration in this chapter that no description of mine can ever do it justice.

Kitchens and Pantries is the next chapter, and it is even more fun than the one before it.  A full 20 pages of glorious, inspiring photography and fun, fun ideas for decorating kitchens and pantries and for packaging food gifts and more.  There are ideas for displaying kitchen treasures and directions for making a "Merry" banner.

Next comes a chapter titled Happy Memories.  Again, no descriptive words of mine can describe the delight of this chapter.  All manner of vintage items are pictured, from a sequined felt stocking to a metal toy barn decorated for Christmas to toy trucks and a plaid thermos with a sprig of greenery -- oh, just beautiful!  There are also directions for making a gumdrop wreath, felt stemware coasters, and paper serving cones for snack mixes.

The last chapter is called Holiday Recipes and it is filled with ideas for beverages, cakes, nut recipes, cookies and tarts (lots of cookie recipes!), and even a page of Cookie Tips.  

 Lastly in the book are several pages of recipe cards and stickers to use in giving your country kitchen gifts to others.  Just one last touch of vintage sweetness!

I'm sure you can tell that I'm enchanted by this book.  Highly recommend it to all of you!

Personalized photo gift ideas for kids

 

Since sharing yesterday's post about the Shutterfly tote bags, I've been thinking about other personalized photo gifts I've made.  I mentioned in a 2019 post that I've made some memory games, like the one above, for gifts.  These are so much fun to make!  You can find more inspiration at Shutterfly, here: memory games.  I'll tell you, too, that some memory games can be more complicated than you think.  I made one for a Nevada grandson featuring logging machines.  I played it with him and found it quite challenging as some trucks and machines look quite a bit alike.  Below is one of my more recent ones.

 

Jigsaw puzzles are another really good gift and so much the more when they are made from a photo your kids love or that will jog a wonderful memory for them.  Shutterfly's puzzle options are here.  Below are a couple that I have made.  I had to take the easy way out and snag screenshots from the Shutterfly web site, since I don't have photos of all of these.

Photo books can also be fantastic gifts for kids.  One of these started out with an ABC book theme; the other was just a regular photo book that I turned into an ABC book along the way.

 

Hope this post sparks a few ideas for gifts you can go ahead and make now for the kids in your life!

Christmas in July sale from Elizabeth and Jim George!

If you've been reading my regular blog long, you know how much I have been blessed by Elizabeth George's Bible studies.   They have helped me to grow in Christ in a much deeper way over the years.  What I really love about Elizabeth's teaching is that it is just Scripture, just practical, solid Bible teaching, never her own opinion.

So I was delighted to see that Elizabeth and her husband Jim (who writes Bible studies for men and boys) are having a Christmas in July sale. From what I can tell, it seems like this sale goes through the month of July.  Most of the books on sale are written with kids in mind, though there are several for women and a couple books for men included. 

So this would be a wonderful sale to shop for your kids or grandkids, and I think I am likely to be doing just that!

The Georges also have all of their printables on sale for $1.99 each, and there are some good ones there.  Take a look: Scripture printables.  Some of these would be great in children's rooms as well as other places in your home.  This printable sale goes through the month of July.

If you've been wanting to get some great Scripture resources into the hands of your kids or grandkids, now would be the perfect time!

Rudolph Day for August

Rudolph Day fell on a Sunday this month and I really did nothing Christmasy on that day, being busy with other pursuits like church in the morning and a  hike to a lake in the afternoon.

But I have been working on a few Christmas gifts as Shutterfly free offers come along.  I can't say much about what I am making, but I will say I've made a few items similar to this:

A couple more Shutterfly packages arrived on Saturday, so I'm calling that my Rudolph day. 

It was a bit low-key this month, but I am thankful to have quite a bit of my Christmas shopping already taken care of!

From the October archives here in the Christmas kitchen ..

In both of my blogs, I've been trying to do a couple posts from the archives each month.  In the process of trying to do so for October,  I've found that there were some Octobers when I didn't post here at all.  Shame on me!  The only excuse I can come up with is that October tends to be a busy month for us and a time when we often have traveled somewhere.  For whatever reason, there's a scarcity of posts in the October archives.

As a result, I only have a few links to share today.  Here goes:

From 2007, Easy Patchwork Coasters are a project I've made many times and referred to many times on both blogs.  They're not really patchwork, but look that way as a result of folding, stitching, and turning.  A project I highly recommend for using up smallish scraps of Christmas fabric!

This Advent Countdown project is one I did some years ago from a Gooseberry Patch Christmas book.  I actually made three of these.  It took some time but was a very rewarding project.

This post on Baking, Beverage, and Seasoning Mixes shares a link to a long list of such mixes.  I love giving these as part of a gift basket!

A fun little gift for a 1-year-old is fabric alphabet letters to play with and, as they get older, to spell out words.

And lastly, I blogged about a favorite kids' book from my own childhood: The Animals’ Merry Christmas!

Hope you've enjoyed this quick browse through the archives!

A great inexpensive source for Christmas books

Today we're kicking off Christmas in July here in my Christmas kitchen,  and I want to share a link for a source of great deals on Christmas books!

I'll admit that I am pretty much addicted to Christmas books, especially Gooseberry Patch Christmas books, but others as well.  It's not that I snatch up every Christmas book I see, for there are many that I can pass by.  But I do love Gooseberry Christmas books and Holly Pond Hill books (like the one above) as well as a number of others.  I am planning to downsize my Christmas book collection, as I have some that I just don't use. 

But if you are still building your own collection, there's an affordable way to do so.  The secret is ThriftBooks.

I just did a very quick search on ThriftBooks for Christmas books and I will not take time to do specific links, but you will get the idea as to what sort of books you'll find and the prices thereof. 

Here are a few of the books I found:
* Christmas from the Heart of the Home, by Susan Branch, from $3.79

* Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 6, from $3.79

* Leisure Arts Spirit of Christmas Book 7, from $3.80

Gooseberry Patch Welcome Home for the Holidays (one of my personal favorites) from $3.79

Christmas with Victoria, from $3.79

Christmas with Country Living, from $3.79

Martha Stewart's Christmas, from $3.79

There are 79 pages full of similar books!  Nearly all of the Gooseberry Patch books start at $3.79.

Another huge plus is that when you spend $10 or more at ThriftBooks, the shipping is free!  It takes me no time at all to spend $10 there.  In addition, as you purchase books, you can earn Reading Rewards coupons -- for every $50 you spend, you earn a $5 coupon which can then be used on any $15 order.  Pretty neat!

So if you have a Christmas book habit like mine, or if you know someone who does, you will want to check out this wonderful bookseller.  Happy Christmas in July!

A gift with possibilities

... many possibilities!

Yes, it's fabric.

My daughter Joanna, out in faraway northeastern Nevada, knows me well.  She told me a few days before Christmas to expect a parcel from an eBay seller.  I saved it to open on Christmas day while we were Skyping with her and her family.  Yes, fabric.  Not just any fabric -- it's Christmas fabric.  Holly Pond Hill Christmas fabric!

Joanna and I share a love for Susan Wheeler's adorable Holly Pond Hill characters and scenes.  I own two Christmas books -- The Happiest Season of All

and Holly Pond Hill Christmas Treasury.

The illustrations by Susan Wheeler and the text by Paul Kortepeter are simply wonderful.  I get these out every year to read before Christmas or sometime during the season.  The Christmas treasury is one that I found at a discount bookstore one year.  I got several copies to give as gifts.

So you can understand my delight at opening up a simple parcel and finding this:

which includes Christmasy scenes from these books!

My daughter had asked the seller to include a note worded like this:

And, as you see, she did.  The note was written inside a pretty card.  Yes, Joanna knows me well.  Now my task is to consider the many possible uses for this fabric and to make the best use possible of it.  Such a thoughtful gift!

Another Rudolph Day got away!

Found this free graphic online years ago -- I forget where.  It's an illustration from the Jolly Old Saint Nicholas book I loved as a child.

Yes, Rudolph Day for April got right by me.  I had thought I would try and celebrate at least a little, but no Christmas crafts were made, no Christmas tea sipped, no Christmas music listened to.

Over the next couple of days, though, I took some time to browse through some Gooseberry Patch Christmas books I'd purchased used on Amazon.

Book 13 -- photo from Amazon

Book 14 -- photo from Amazon

If you have never thought of buying used Christmas books, head over to Amazon and see the selection.  The pricing, even on hardcovers (which these were), can be amazingly low.  I still haven't finished browsing through these, but when I do, I will hopefully write some book reviews.  These feature the wonderful projects, recipes, handmade gift ideas and decorating inspiration we've all come to expect from Gooseberry Patch.

Even though my Rudolph Day got away, these books are mine to keep -- and I'm enjoying them!

Another vintage kids' book ~ The Animals' Merry Christmas

When our kids were young, we had the equivalent of this book contained within one of a four-volume set of Richard Scarry anthologies.  If your kids or grandkids are not familiar with Richard Scarry, they (and you!) are missing out.  His art and stories are both fantastic and so much fun for kids.

This Little Golden Book (copyright 1950, 1958) actually was written by Kathryn B. Jackson, but the pictures are all Richard Scarry, and just beautiful.  The book contains four Christmas stories:  Mr. Hedgehog's Christmas Present, The Singing Christmas Tree, The Cold Little Squirrel, and The Long-Ago Donkey.  It also includes two Christmas poems: Green Christmas and A Very Small Christmas.

The poem Green Christmas was a favorite of my children, so I will quote it here:

Green Christmas

"It's almost Christmas, and still no snow!"

Cry the woodland creatures.  "We still can go

Out of our houses to search for roots

And seeds in the dry grass, and maybe shoots

Of fern and fennel that think it's spring.

We may find acorns -- 'most anything

That's good to eat may be in sight

For Christmas dinner, on such a night,

When the ground is bare of ice and snow,

And stars are bright, and the winds don't blow.

Hurrah for Christmas and still no snow!"

"It's almost Christmas, and still no snow!"

Sigh the townsfolk, wishing the wind would blow.

"Our doors are wreathed with pine and holly,

And our Christmas trees would look extra jolly

Blazing with lights -- if the snow came down

Deep and white all over the town!

Why doesn't the sky go wooly gray?

Why doesn't it snow for Christmas Day?

It's not like Christmas without some snow!"

Sigh the townsfolk, wishing the wind would blow --

BUT -- 

"Hurrah for Christmas and still no snow!"

Cry the woodland creatures, and out they go.

-- Kathryn B. Jackson

Such a fun poem.  Helps kids to see that there may be more than one side to a story!

If you've not seen this book, I'm pretty sure you could find one on eBay or Etsy.  With its four separate stories and two poems, it would be a great addition to your family's library of Christmas books!

Another vintage kids' book -- THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

You can see this book was well loved!

Today I want to quickly share another of my childhood Christmas books.  I finally found a few minutes this summer to scan some of my favorites.

This one is simply the classic The Night Before Christmas poem by Clement C. Moore.  This Little Golden Book version was published in 1949.  What is really special about it is the lovely illustrations by Corinne Malvern.  There is a little bio of her in the front of the book: "Corinne Malvern has excelled in two of the arts.  She was a successful child actress, then studied art, and has since exhibited her work and done commercial art.  She has illustrated ... many of the Little Golden Books."

Since the poem was  written in 1822, the artist opens the book with an illustration depicting a calendar page from December 1822.

Don't you love it?

I scanned this page because it was easiest, being first in the book, but also because it's my favorite.  I love the little house and the falling snow by lantern light!

Vintage kids' book ~ The Most Beautiful Tree in the World

This book was one of my favorite Christmas stories as a child.  It is a Wonder Book and, sadly, gives no credit to either the author or illustrator.  All it says is that the story was originally published in Family Circle magazine in 1954 and was copyrighted as a Wonder Book in 1956.

The book tells the story of children living on a farm and the beautiful gigantic spruce tree on their property.  The tree is sold and carried away by helicopter to become the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.  Andy and Ellen get to go to the city and see their tree in all its glory.  The story ends happily with a new little spruce tree being planted in place of the large one, and the promise that it too may one day be the most beautiful tree in the world.

Andy and Ellen's first sight of the helicopter passing over their farm

The story is fun and the illustrations absolutely fabulous.  If you can find a copy, this little book is well worth having in your Christmas book collection.