Monday, November 9, 2009

Blog Hop Day 1

Welcome to day 1 of the Cross Country Quilt Designer's 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop. Our topic today is a Childhood Memory from the Holidays.







On Christmas Eve we always went to Grandpa and Grammie Fishers. I loved going to Grammie and Grandpa Fisher's for Christmas. I had a big bunch of cousins of all ages and we ran wild - because Grammie allowed it. Grammie's Christmas tree was very special. She always bought a very small natural balsam tree - kind of a "Charlie Brown" tree. It was always decorated with bubble lights and smelled wonderful.






I loved to sit and watch the bubbles travel up and down the lights.
We had plain old Christmas lights on our tree.




Now we always have a natural balsam tree too.
Just like Grammie's.
Only bigger.
Minus the bubble lights.


Grammies house was not very big, so it was a bit crowded. The men were in the living room, women in the dinning room and kids everywhere. Grammie always set the table with her green plaid dishes. Even as a small child, I was aware of how cool those dishes where.




Grammie always served "Christmas Jell-O" salad.
It looked very festive on the green plaid plates.
I purchased a partial set of these plaid dishes at an antique store.
I too use them on Christmas Eve.


Grammie's Christmas Jell-O Salad


One 3oz. pkg. lime Jell-o dissolved in 1 C. hot water.
When Jell-o is completely dissolved add, 3/4 C. cold water.
Pour in 9” X 13” glass pan. Refrigerate until firmly set.

20 oz. can crushed pineapple. Drain and save the juice.
Set drained pineapple aside.

Add enough water to pineapple juice to equal
2 cups. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Add one 3 oz. package lemon Jell-o. Stir until Jell-o is dissolved.
Add 3 C. miniature marshmallows.
Stir until marshmallows are melted. Cool.

Mix:
3 oz. package cream cheese.
1/2 C. salad dressing.
Add this to the lemon Jell-o mixture.
Now fold in 2 C. whipped topping.
Cool just until the mixture starts too congeal, then
add the crushed pineapple.

Pour over set lime Jell-o.
Refrigerate until firmly set.

Dissolve one 3oz. pkg. cherry Jell-o in 1 C. hot water.
When Jell-o is completely dissolved, add 3/4 C. cold water.
Cool.
Pour over top of set middle layer and refrigerate
until firmly set.

Are you wondering why I did not show you how pretty the Jell-O is the plaid plates???
Well I discovered that I am not patient enough to make Grammies' Christmas Jell-O.



If you do not wait for each layer to FIRMLY set up...
you will have this mess.
Grammie's salad NEVER looked like this!


The featured designer for today is Gudrun from GE Designs. Hop on over to her blog
http://www.gudrun.typepad.com/ to see the free project she has posted on her blog.

Tomorrow I will be the featured designer. My free project will be a quick and easy table mat. Tomorrow's topic is a special food/cookie you made as a kid or was tradition, plus a recipe.
Be sure and check it out tomorrow at www.piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot/.com


Remember, if you comment on all 12 blogs, you will be entered in a drawing for the following gift bags, filled with fabulous quilting goodies from all of us:
GE Designs, Pieces of My Heart, Atkinson Designs, Pat Sloan, Anka's Treasures,
Pam Kitty Morning, New Leaf Stitches, Whimsicals, This 'N' That, Miss Rosies,
Rosebud's Cottage, Linda Lum DeBono.

1st Prize A gift bag worth $250
2nd Prize A gift bag worth $70
3rd Prize A gift bag worth $40


Happy Hopping.

From My Heart,

Sandy

130 comments :

  1. I really enjoyed reading your story of going to Grammie's. I could tell a very similar story. I really like the plaid dishes. Some memories are really vivid, aren't they? Great blog, thanks.

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  2. Great memories. Thanks for the recipe. I have a dear friend who spent many Christmases with us and always brought a jello salad similar to this. My kids loved it and I never got the recipe. Thanks for the "patience" tip too :)

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  3. Love those plates! And I think the sideways jello square has a lot of character!

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  4. Thanks for sharing the recipe! We always has 'green jello' for the holidays, the one with the cottage cheese nuts and pineapple in it.

    I can't wait to see your project tomorrow.

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  5. Love your story --- Grammas impact us in so many ways. Love those dishes---need those dishes.....

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  6. Awesome memory. Your jello looks better then mine ever did. Are those your Grandma's actual plates? Lucky you if they are!

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  7. This is so much fun... I am hopping arund to all of the blogs this morning as I couldn't wait for this to start :)

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  8. We have a special "green jello" recipe we use every holiday.... It wouldn't be Christmas without it....

    Love all the stories...

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  9. I absolutely love those dishes...I want them! Bubble lights is there anything better than that?

    Pat

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  10. I'm curious, do you need to comment on all 12 blogs every day or just all 12 blogs once?

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  11. Love those bubble lights on trees. Still have a couple of vintage ornaments but they're wearing out.

    Also love the story about the jello and I too love your plaid plates and the "limp" jello looks great!!!!!

    Linda G

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  12. Great story. My Grandma always made a "Nice little Jello salad" for holidays too. Sadly, mine never looks like hers either. Chris

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  13. I have a few bubble night lights to also remind me of Grammies house!

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  14. What fun to have grandparents close enough to visit during the holidays

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  15. What a great recipe. Christmas is a wonderful time to reminisce.

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  16. I remember the Noma Bubble Lights also. They were my favorite. In fact, I still have a few that Mom gave me. One of my granddaughters calls me Grammie also.

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  17. I love the memories of things that don't seem like a big deal at the time, like the bubble lights and plaid dishes. (I love the dishes by the way) We never know what will be a special memory for us or someone else. Thanks for sharing yours!

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  18. I remember much the same thing, my grandma's house full to the rafters with kids, aunts, uncles, and friends. Wild and crazy was allowed but only downstairs and outside. Main floor you had to have some semblance of restraint, not much though lol.
    I need to make the four hour trip again soon.

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  19. What a great memory. I think we all have a jello family tradition!

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  20. Thanks for sharing your story about your Grammie. I hope that my Christmas decorations and plates (mine aren't plaid) are special to my grand kids, too!

    Your tree is beautiful.

    Thanks for sharing the recipe. Yours looks great!

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  21. I remeber those bubble Lights! I must be old.

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  22. Hi Sandy - thanks for the wonderful memories you have shared today - I LOVE your tree!!!
    Now about that green bottom layer... try adding a cup of ICE CUBES instead of cold water - the jello sets up almost instantly - just stir those ice cubes around until the jello starts to thicken and them scoop out the unmelted ice with a slotted spoon. This works with the top layer, too.
    Jello recipes were my specialty as a teenager - I made every recipe in the Joys Of Jell-O cookbook!
    I had tons of cousins around at holidays - as one of the two oldest girls, I got to make lots of salads and desserts - usually in double quantities.
    BTW - I love your fabrics, too!
    TheaM

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  23. Gracias por sus Memorias de la infancia, aun maravilloso que la conservación de la tradicion familiar. Hasta mañana

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  24. My mom always made lime jello for Christmas. She wasn't exactly an inspired cook. She would put fruit cocktail in it. I loved it just the same.
    KatieQ

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  25. Thanks for the story and recipe!

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  26. filled cookies are my grandmother memory.
    Thanks
    Regena

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  27. I totally forgot about bubble lights-we had some when I was a kid, too! I remember sitting & staring in awe at them-they were definitely my favorites. Can't believe you actually have the box even!

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  28. Oh, where is the Jello of yesteryear????

    Ours was lime with creamed cheese and (wait for this) cream of asparagus soup! And some chopped nuts. It was delicious.

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  29. What a lovely story, and that jello salad still looks yummy to me, leaning or not;-)

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  30. What sweet memories. I remember my mom's food every year.

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  31. I can't wait to see your project....I'm still thinking I can accomplish something this holiday!

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  32. Wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing. I love the plaid plates. The jello sounds yummy to me, too bad no one else here likes pineapple!

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  33. kolbrun bjornsdottirNovember 9, 2009 at 11:26 AM

    this is so much fun, I have to try this jello it sounds good and looks good to :)

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  34. Grammies sounds like fun! And I love those plaid dishes, how cool that you found some!

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  35. Love the nostalgia, I would really like to have some bubble lites now! I remember Christmas Eve dinners w/family in New York at night with the 7 course meal. Pokeno at midnight after opening one present. Good memories.

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  36. Thanks for the recipe. My mom had a recipe for "Prize Christmas Salad" which was a Jello creation, but all red. Only had it at Christmas.

    Brenda K.

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  37. I absolutely love your story and "Charlie Brown" trees have always been and always will be my absolute favorite of all!

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  38. Enjoyed you Christmas memories. Love the plaid dishes. Love your designs. Thank you.

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  39. There's always room for Jello! Mary Ellen

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  40. I forgot all about those bubble lights! I grew up living with Grammy and loved it. Great memories. Thanks for sharing yours!

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  41. What wonderful memories we all have to share. I love the plaid plates!! I, too, would not have the patience for the jello...I would have to buy it! Will be back tomorrow for your pattern...thanks for sharing this blog hop!

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  42. Thanks for the recipe.. I can't wait to try it! I miss my Grammie.. Christmas was always fun. Love those dishes.. Thanks for sharing

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  43. Oh my! Lime jello! My grandmother adored that lime jello recipe and as she got older I had to make it for every occasion. I SWORE I would never make it again after she died. Then one Christmas I couldn't stand it and made it ONE MORE TIME...of course, everyone loved it (including MY kids) and now I'm back to making it for my Christmas contribution! Great story!

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  44. I remember that jello salad! We did not have it at Christmas, but it was a usual dish at potlucks! Love the red and green...I remember it in yellows and oranges.

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  45. Bubble lights .... DH and I have a few from our childhood and use them every year. Our GC love them. Thanks for the memory.

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  46. Thank you for your childhood story it´s so much fun to read and you must have had a great time at your grannies house:)

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  47. Thanks so much for the wonderful post - made me tearful missing my grandmother! Loved the recipe and can't wait to see tomorrow's project! Thanks so much to all you ladies for treating us to all these wonderful goodies! kbmoore516

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  49. My grandmother had bubble lights too and I could look at the for what seemed like hours!

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  50. What a fun memory to have. I love those stories there the best to have and tell to everyone. Doug

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  51. Great memories you have, I wrote your recipe down, I'm going to try it next sunday!, thank you for sharing

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  52. Isn't it funny how we remember "traditions" that don't seem like "traditions" at the time? We spent Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's house too. And now, our own grandchildren come on Christmas Eve - As they say "what goes around comes around".

    Your plaid plates are so much fun! We use special Christmas dinnerware also that our daughter bought us YEARS ago.

    "Traditions" - I love them - because they're like "memories".

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  53. I love the look of bubble lights, too! Thanks for the jello salad recipe....I'll try it and try to be patient enough to let it set up firmly!!! :)

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  54. Oh, I forgot about that jello salad. My Grammie used to make that too.
    I love your plaid dishes!

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  55. Oh, I forgot about that Jell-o salad. My Grammie used to make that too.
    I love your plaid dishes!!

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  56. Thanks for sharing those wonderful memories. I too had bubble lights to watch and it brought back some great memories of my Dad and "testing" the lights while watching Perry Comom's Christmas show. Love yur tree and the window it sits in too!

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  57. You remind me of "my Christmas tree past". Some of them were so scrawny and other too fat to fit in the room. We would stand outside in the cold deciding. Now we just take it out of the box and put it up.

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  58. Those plaid plates are marvelous! I've been thinking about starting special dishes for the holidays.

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  59. Thanks for the recipe. This would be good for any holiday.

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  60. I bought your pattern "Grammie's Jello to make the quilt. I haven't done that yet, but I have made the jello. It's wonderful, and I will make the quilt.

    Leslie S.

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  61. Those green plaid dishes are AWESOME!!! I remember jell-o salad for the Holidays too. ; )

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  62. Wow, good patterns, great recipes, we are gonna be ready for the holidays this year. yeah right, lol
    BUT we try. :)

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  63. Even though your salad doesn't look like Grammie's, I am sure it tasted good! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Tammy L

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  64. I found bubble night lights a fews years back, so had to buy two. Great memories.

    Di Geer

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  65. Grandma's always know how to do Christmas the right way!! I have so many memories of my Grandma's house during the holidays... it seemed so magical and special.
    thanks for sharing your memories.

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  66. bubble lights!!! I have a set I found 'somewhere' and they do bring back so many memories! Jello salad, oh yes, we had that - and pears with mayo in the middle and cheese on top!
    geez, memories
    Beth in Dallas

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  67. My mother made the same salad.

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  68. Thank you for sharing your Christmas memories with us! I love bubble lights, but only have the single ones that are pulled into a socket. Looking forward to your project. Thank you!

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  69. We used to have fiberglass snow balls that covered the large colored lights. It made the lights look like snow balls were on the tree. Thanks for that memory-forgot all about that. Merry Christmas!

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  70. Oh you made my day with that picture and reference to bubble lights. I loved bubble lights!

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  71. This may be a repeat??? We had fiberglass snowball covers that went over the colored lights on the tree. Loved the look of snow on the tree. Thanks for the memory-I had forgotten all about that. Merry Christmas!!

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  72. Loved to see your tree and darling items around the tree. I love4 antiques and quilting. I can't wait to tune in each day .

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  73. Memories and food, I love how they always seem to go together. Thanks for the warm message.

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  74. what a neat idea. I love memories. dee locke

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  75. Thanks for sharing your memories and your recipe. I think I might try it to have something new this year. I like your blog.

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  76. I think you just described my Christmas and the tree looks familiar too!

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  77. Love your plates, and especially the jello - have not heard of that recipe in years. I'll have to make it "gluten free" and try it. Can't wait to checkout your blog tomorrow. Thanks! Carmela

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  78. Sandy, Im really looking forward to your project tomorrow, and loved the story of your Grammie..... actually I love all stories of Grandmas, as mine was very very special also. I never have enough room in the fridge for dishses like that, so I leave it to others to bring!!

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  79. I just think this is a wonderful idea. Love hearing about memories

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  80. this is a fun way to share stories and tidbits

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  81. How very cool that you were able to find the plaid dishes! And thanks for the jello recipe - I love jello anything!!!

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  82. The bubble lights really evoke the happy Christmas memories. They could keep you mesmerized for hours. I have to tell you that I love the green plaid dishes. How festive. Weren't you lucky to find them.

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  83. My sister makes fun of me, but I still love congealed salads . . . your memory makes me miss my Nana!

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  84. I think I have enough patience to make that recipe,Ihave always loved Jello! sweet story. Love the Blog Hop! bonniesline@aol.com

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  85. Love this recipe,I will try it as I love Jello recipes,Loving this Blog Hop!

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  86. Will have to give "Grammie's" jello salad a try. Thank you for sharing!!!

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  87. Jello was the highlight of our holiday dinners at Grandma's too.. we had red jello with fruit cocktail and it was yummy....

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  88. What a wonderful memory. The tree is beautiful. I probably don't have the patience to 'wait' for the jello. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  89. I love your tree. We also do natural balsam trees. Everyone calls them my Charlie Brown trees. :)

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  90. Grammies are just awesome aren't they! Thank you for sharing your wonderful memory.

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  91. Great story. I also remember the special dishes my Granny used. My sister and I now have those dishes. I love the look of your Christmas tree. Simple yet elegant. Thanks for sharing.

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  92. Thank you for the recipe. I'm excited to try it and then I saw it on your plate and you made me laugh! That's exactly how mine will be! Nancy in WI

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  93. My sister in law makes this jello salad!! My aunt made one that had cranberries and nuts!!

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  94. My jello would have turned out just like yours! LOL...I'm a Grammie too and loving it,
    Linda P in IL

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  95. We also had the same jello salad every Christmas when I was little. I think I need to put it back into the menu. I had totally forgotten about it. Thanks for the memory

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  96. My mother always made a Christmas Jello, very similar recipe although she added cranberries, nuts and celery.

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  97. Christine Thomas, Napa, CANovember 9, 2009 at 11:11 PM

    The plaid dishes are really unique. I have never seen any like that before. We also have a jello salad that seems to only make its appearance at Thanksgiving and Christmas

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  98. I love the "patient jello". A while back I concluded that maybe jello wasn't my thing. Now I know that I'm just not patient enough. My mother once told me that her Rice Crispie bars don't turn out well. I figure we both have a weakness that others would wonder about.

    Love the story.

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  99. My Grandma made a jello like that!!... but I didn't have the recipe!!
    *Thank you!!*, for the recipe!
    (Grandma didn't write any of her recipes down!... You had to be there, watching her, to see how she made things... so different ones of us had different "recipes" from her in our heads. We gathered our recipes together last year, in a wonderful collection of family recipes! We are still missing some of Grandma's recipes... Thank you, for this one!)
    Your tree looks much like the one Grandpa would bring back from his "Christmas Tree" walk in the woods, too!
    *Thank you!*, for the memories!!
    Pat T.

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  100. Love the plate set, but I don't think I have the patience for the jello either!

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  101. Love the plaid plates. Jello salad also makes it's way onto our holiday table. Thanks for sharing.
    Elaine

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  102. I'm thrilled to have found your blog through this contest. I LOVE your fabrics!

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  103. It is marvelous that Jello is called salad! I discovered this when I studied in the US for a year and was invited to somebody's Grandmother's home. I had a wonderful time!

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  104. Family memories especially at Christmas are wonderful. Thanks for the recipe and pattern.
    tich

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  105. I love the picture of your tree. It reminded me of the tree's we had when we were kids.

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  106. I love that recipe! My husband grew up with that recipe too and now he makes it every year for Christmas. We tried it with different colored jello for Easter one year. It is a pretty versatile recipe.

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  107. My grandmother used to make that same salad. Oooh, the memories.

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  108. Cute pattern, I'm going to try it out this afternoon. And I love the recipe.

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  109. I have never made popcorn balls, this may be the year to do so. Thanks for the great pattern!
    Deb

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  110. I saw your new line at my LQS. It's beautiful. And I love the idea of placemats. Great stuff!!

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  111. I love this pattern. I am teaching a friend to sew and this is a perfect holiday project! Thank you.

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  112. I remember bubble lights, we had them too when I was a kid.

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  113. I think this would make a cute wall hanging. Now which one to make, yours or Gudron's? --Mary Hillstrom

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  114. My mother used to make this jello dessert all the time during the holidays. What a nice way to remember.

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  115. Love the ornament and the mixed techniques to make it.

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  116. I love the plaid dishes and how wonderful that you could find some of your own! The jello salad looks good even if it is a bit tilted. :-) I think I might try this one at Christmas. Haven't made a jello salad in ages but it was standard at my grandma Goldie's, too. Your tree is just beautiful!

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  117. plaid plates totally cool. what a memory trigger

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  118. I remember someone had a tree with those bubble lights, and I always thought they were so cool. They were really fascinating.

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  119. Love the inspirations!

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  120. I AM REALLY NOT ANONYMOUS. I HAVE BEEN POSTING AS SUSAN ON THE OTHER BLOGS. THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD GET MY COMMENT TO POST.... For reference sake. My email addy: finallysusan60@yahoo.com

    I am really liking the tablemat and look forward to making it. The popcorn balls look yummyliscious also. Thanks for sharing.

    Susan

    P.S. I had a really difficult time getting my comment to post on your blog. No problem with the other blog hopper sites. I keep returning here to try again and again so that it will successfully post by some 'hook or crook.'

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  121. This is such a fun Christmas blog treasure hunt! I love the "Bulb A-Licious" pattern. Thank you so much for this gift of creativity. I only wish the Cross Country Christmas Blog Hop would last longer!

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  122. Those plates are fantastic! I'm hardly patient enough for regular old, don't have to do anything but heat up water, stir, and let set jello! It just doesn't set fast enough!

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  123. Hmmmm I'd like to try your recipes!

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  124. Thank you for sharing with us these past 12 days. It's been so much fun and most of the projects I've been able to squeeze into to my schedule when I'm not in the store.
    Again thank you,

    Gwen Carreon
    www.backdoorgeneralstore.com

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  125. Thanks for your time,talent and patterns.I hope to get some of them done before christmas Mary Ellen

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  126. Bubble lights!! We had bubble lights! I loved those! Thanks for doing this giveaway!

    Hugs,
    gina
    www.gigglekidsboutique.com

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  127. Loved the story about the Jello -- we also made jello salads but with cranberries. Thanks for the giveaway.

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