Easy Street Progress (Step 2), We Have a Winner, and Gingerbread!

So, first things first…we have a winner from the Holiday Lane Blog Hop. Gramma Sheri from The Desert Rat Chronicles was comment number 11 as chosen by the Random Generator.

The Random Generator pick!

Sheri will be getting this piece of blue fabric in her mailbox soon!

I wish I could send something to everyone who commented.  This piece turned out to be such a personal and lovely journey for me and your comments brought tears to my eyes.  Thank you to everyone who stopped by and shared their own Christmas memories.  I am honored to hear your stories.

Second on my list is my progress down Easy Street.  Step two was one of my favorite things to piece…flying geese!  Now, I have to confess, I’ve owned a ruler to cut quarter-square triangles from strips for YEARS but have never used it!  Bonnie Hunter posted a great tutorial on how to use the Companion Angle and Easy Angle and, voila!  No 7/8 measurement squares to cut into four.  I layered up some strips and had 58 of my triangles cut in just a few minutes.  Have I mentioned that Bonnie is my quilting hero?  Even if you’re not doing the mystery, you should check out her video tutorial here.  I’m linking my progress up to her linky party here.  Here are my flying geese so far.

The first of many geese!

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering what I was doing all week if I only got a few geese made and the answer is…gingerbread!  Every year we have a “Gingerbread Pot Luck.”  I make the houses and our friends bring candy to share.  My friend Margot vastly improved the whole process when she volunteered to make bags of frosting (oh so much easier than bowls!)  We eat and then each family decorates their house together to take home.  Here’s a few “before” pictures of the houses ready to go.

The big one is supposed to represent the apartment building that my oldest daughter lives in at college.  Her friends who were supposed to join her were inundated with homework so she took it back to decorate with them.  I can’t wait to see the finished shot!

So, after all the requisit baking and cleaning, I’m sitting down this morning to make my “12 Days of Christmas Catch-Up” list.  Of course, thinking is best when accompanied by a cup of tea so I broke out the gingerbread cup.

Isn’t that cute?  It was a gift a few years ago and I love it!  Well, you will probably see more from me today, I have a couple of reviews coming up and now I am off to finish my list and begin checking things off!

Happy Monday!