This and That . . .

I very much enjoyed reading what all of you have - or have not yet - been doing about Christmas this year.  I had plans to do more around the house this weekend to get fall packed away but here it is, the end of the weekend and fall is still everywhere I look.  Hubby agreed to help out this week; if I take it down, he'll pack it up.  Works for me!  So I'll do a bit each evening.

One of my favorite Christmas books that I purchase each and every year is the Gooseberries Christmas book.  Between the crafts and decorating ideas, food gifts, and recipes for holiday meals, I always find enough to make the purchase worthwhile, especially since I usually also go back and look at the earlier books each year.  This weekend I found a couple ideas in that book and a few magazines that I'd like to incorporate into this year's plans, so I made a list and headed to JoAnn's and Michael's--yes, this is exactly why I didn't have time to get fall put away!  But I found just about everything I needed and then some.  Seriously, check out this Michael's find--they weren't on my list, but I just couldn't pass them up:

How cool are polka dotted poinsettias?  If I knew they existed, they certainly WOULD have been on my list!

Oh, and that This and That title?  It actually referred to the giveaway for the little All the Trimmings pattern by This & That.  The winner is Vikki who said:

"This year I'm pulling out all the stops and decorating for both Thanksgiving & Christmas because it's possibly the last time our daughter will be home for both holidays for a long time. She's in her last year of medical school and interviewing all over the country for general surgery residency programs. So I'm going to make these holidays super special. The only mag I've bought is the Land O Lakes All About the Holidays receipe collection. I'd love the chance to win the pattern--I have a couple of hers and I love them! Love your blog too!
battyvik"

Vikki, please email me your mailing address and I'll get the pattern in the mail to you.  Thank you all for your comments; I hope Santa will be good to you and make up for not winning my little giveaway.