Cookies and Decorations!

I can't show you the quilt I am working on right now since I want to try to enter it in a show. So, I thought I would show you some of the other creative activities at my house this week. Today was a baking day. I made tart cherry scones for breakfast along with scrambled eggs. The scones were wonderful.
Next I baked some banana bread since the bananas were ready for baking or mashing and freezing to be made into bread another day. I was already in the baking mode though so I went with it. We like banana bread with chocolate chips sprinkled throughout.
After that it was my daughter's favorite cookie, chocolate marshmallow. You don't truly belong to my side of the family unless you like these cookies. It is a generational cookie that we all enjoy.
Last night I made some peanut butter cookies with chocolate stars on top. I will have to make more of those later this week. I just made a small amount and they are my son's favorite so they vanish quickly.

going.....going.....gone........

One more cookie for me to bake is pecan tea cookies. These were always my mom's favorite and I have found myself liking them more and more as the years go by. Am I becoming my mother? hmmm......We have also been decorating our house. Two of my favorite ornaments were made by my kids when they were in school.











We each buy a new ornament every year. We've always tried to make it something that will show an accomplishment or memory from that year. Like this guy the year we learned how to cross country ski.
Or this one from the year Lloyd and I hit 25 years together. Oh, my goodness that sounds like a long time doesn't it?
We like to buy ornaments that remind us of trips we have taken as a family too. I was just reading about a study that says people really do become happier when they are reminded by photos or mementos of happy times in their life. Here are some of ours:

Lake Itasca in Minnesota

Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota

Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
A crystal wreath from Galway, Ireland
A bear from Snowqualmie Falls in Washington, we actually saw the bears when we were in Whistler, Canada on that trip so we thought this would remind us of both parts of the trip.
The Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.
We are going to Arizona soon so we will have to try to find an ornament there. Since we love to play tourist and end up at the touristy places eventually, I'm sure we will find something. After Christmas I need to repair a few of my older decorations. Like this Advent calendar I made before my kids were even born. A few of the velcro dots have come off, and some of the ornaments are missing little bits. I need to fix it up before I put it away until next year.
I usually need to tighten up the stitches on a letter or two on my Merry Christmas swag. I don't remember when I made this for sure but it was probably about the same time as the Advent Calendar.
And last but not least, maybe I will have this McKenna Ryan quilt finished for next Christmas. Who knows, stranger things have happened.
Have a Creative Day.
Janet