CCC Blog Hop day 2

I want to start today off with a big thank you for all your wonderful comments on my project. I am so glad you like it so much and that so many of you are going to make it. Today's designer in the hop is the wonderful Sandy Gervais from Pieces From My Heart. She is sharing a free pattern for a table mat and knowing her, you are going to love it. She is probably one of the most creative people I know, creativity just "oooozes" out of her. I would love to hang out with her for a while and see if some of it would spill over into me!! Make sure you go visit and comment on her project. Some of you had questions about the commenting so I just want to clarify: To be eligible for the grand prize you need to comment on each designers project post. You don't have to do it on the exact day that it is posted, just make sure you comment on all the blogs before the hop ends. So if you missed commenting on my project yesterday, just scroll down and post your comment now.

I was very fortunate to be a part of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks from Today's Top Designers, issue that will be on newsstands November 17. Quiltmaker is doing a Blog tour Nov. 9.-13. with all the designers that have a block in the issue and have tons of prizes and stuff going on. To follow the blog tour go to www.quiltmaker.com/quiltypleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore! My block is called Northern Flair and I used the Glow fabric line to make it. I love how it turned out using the large scale print in the large triangles to tie all the other colors together. If you comment on this post, you have a chance to win a copy of the issue hot off the press, tell me what you think of the block and you can win!

Our theme of the day in the Cross Country Blog hop is special food or cookie made for the holiday and a recipe. Since I didn't get to tell you a holiday memory yesterday, I am combining the two!

In Iceland we start celebrating christmas on Christmas Eve. At 6pm on December 24th, we always eat a delicious meal and after all the cleanup was done, open presents. On Christmas Day we would always go to my Grandma & Grandpa's house for lunch and spend most of the day there with our relatives. My dad has 7 brothers and sisters so there was always a packed house.

I have lots of cousins and out of the grandkids I was the first girl born after 6 boys. (The cutie in the pink shirt is my dad's youngest brother, which is a few months younger than the oldest grandkid!) Yes, all the boys had long hair, don't you love all the matching outfits. I think it was easier to figure out whose kids they were;-) Afther this picture was taken, even 2 more boys were born before another girl came along. As you can see, the boys took real good care of me (I am in my purple dress).....most of the time. These family gatherings were so much fun. We were such a large group of people that we had to eat in rounds. 1s't round of people would fill the dining room and then when they were done, the next round was called.

After the big meal, we would all have sweets that my grandma had made and then my grandpa would give each of us our own bottle of soda.....Spur Cola to be exact. Now this was a big deal back then. We never got our own bottle of soda back then. Maybe a small cup at a birthday party. The Spur Cola was stored in the basement so it wasn't very cold, which made the soda fizz extra extreme. Now....what happens when you have 8 boys...and a girl, fizzing soda bottles, a very competitive bunch of kids and games to come up with? Burping contests!!! The funniest one was who could recite most of the alphabet while burping! Let's just say that we had a very talented group of kids and I totally held my own running with all the boys....and let's leave it at that:-) One of the kids in the picture above even made it to the Olympics a couple of times.....not for burping though!!

One of the sweets that my grandma made were these Coconut Balls "Kókoskúlur". They were these chocolaty, sweet things, covered in shredded coconut that you could just pop in your mouth. MMMMM delish!! (By the way, the cola went nuts in your mouth if you had one of those balls in your mouth and took a sip!! Volcano!!!) We still make these balls every christmas and I love them. So here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy:

Icelandic Coconut Balls

1 stick Butter, softened

1/2 cup Sugar

1-1/2 cup Fine Oats

2 tbsp Cocoa (Use good cocoa)

1/2 tsp Vanilla

2 tbsp Coffee, cold OR milk if you don't want the coffee flavor.

1 cup Coconut (finely shredded)

Mix everything except the coconut, together in a bowl. Mold into bitesize balls and roll in the coconut. (You will get messy) Chill for a couple of hours.....or as long as you can possibly hold out without popping one of these in your mouth!

Remember to comment here for a chance to win the 100 block magazine and then go visit Sandy!!

Comments

[Dandelion Quilts]

CONGRATULATIONS on the feature of your block!

[Chris]

What a great story and the coconut balls sound wonderful. Can't wait to try them.

[terry hein]

thank you for the yummy cookie recipe and congrats on the 100 block magazine
ter

[Jenny G]

I love your block. I am trying to do a lot more original blocks, and this magazine looks great for that! What beautiful colors too!

[Wanda Sotkowy]

Awesome recipe! What could be better than coconut and chocolate! Then to enjoy them reading the wonderful magazine with your neat pattern just adds icing to the day. Thank you and I hope you chose my name. Thank you

[Cathy]

Have to try the Iclandic cookies! This is fun. Cathy

[Leslie Poole]

I love the detail pictures how to on the tree block; very cool. How fun to grow up with so many cousins

[Julie]

Holiday traditions are as unique as the families that create them. And the memories of the traditions keep families strong. Thanks for sharing. I love the pockets - what a simple and fabulous idea.

[Annette]

Your star is gorgeous - love how the colour bursts from the corners... but then the Glow line is so lovely.....

Looking forward to trying out the recipes being shared today. Coconut balls look especially delish.

[Betty]

yummy looking treat! your tutorial is wonderful...thanks!

[Pat Dillard]

Thanks for the recipe.

[arlette]

I adore the colors you used in your block, you're really talented :)!

[Sharon]

we too had the christmas meal in shifts...us kids were last and then we never left!!! cool block but then i love all your fabric...lot's of points!!! Yess!!!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000488101689]

Hmmmm!!!! Being a chocoholic these look wonderful and coconut an added bonus. will be wonderful for Thanksgiving. The quilt block is beautiful.

[JoAnne]

I love the gorgeous colors of your block and it's one of my favorites!

[Sandi]

oops! I mean I'll do some more on the quilt tomorrow! I should have proofed my comment!

[Sandi]

Coconut is one of my favorites in cookies. Adding your recipe to my list for this year's Christmas baking. :-) My tree will go "up" on my blog soon. That is the tree in your pattern. I finished that much today and will do some more today. Fun pattern. Thanks so much!

[Jayne Honnold]

Your story is as funny as Sandy's! She had a friend with a kitchen-full of popped corn, and you have "extra extreme" burping contests! You'd fit right in to our family!! Thanks for sharing the recipe...I will have fun trying it!
Jayne

[Barbara]

I love the flair of Northern Flair-great colors

[Lynne Sanders]

Just love the block and that Aqua centre just sparkles. Great Fabric contrast. :-)
Cheers
Lynne

[Judi H]

Love the sound of these Coconut Balls and think I will try them this Christmas myself.

[Gale Lavers]

Those coconut balls are on my to-do-list for tomorrow, they look YUMMY. Love your block it would make a beautiful quilt.

[Mary Flynn]

Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the magazine and explore all the blocks that folks like you share with the rest of us quilters. Oh and the coconut balls...I'd have to split the recipe to have coffee in mine and the rest of them without..(personally the coffee ones sounds better) Tee hee

[Cindy]

Too funny about the Spur Cola. We never got "bottles" to ourselves either. We had to share "IF" there was a bottle for the kids - but Grandma and Grandpa always made sure there were bottles for each of us four children during holiday time.

And it was always a special treat when Grandpa would take us to the place where he worked. He worked at a big wholesale for foods warehouse. He worked in the fruits/veggies department so we got to always chose the biggest watermelons, strawberries and such to take home with us....yummy!!! I hadn't thought of that memory in quite some time.

Congrats on your block being featured in the Quiltmakers 100 blocks. You're a special lady!

[Sandy]

Thank you for organizing this interesting blog hop...such fun! What a cute bunch of kids. I love hearing about everyones traditions, thank you.
I would love to win the magazine also.

[Joan Lowder]

WOW those are pretty and sound good and easy. They would make a nice gift for the neighbors. Thanks for sharing.

[Ange Moore]

Cola and burping contests - seems that kids the world over do that! Love the story and those coconut balls sound delicious!!

[Barbara Henkle]

Thanks for the "heads up" on the new magazine coming out with all the designer blocks- yours is a neat one! that would keep all of us quilting for quite awhile.
Will try the Coconut Balls because I love coconut and chocolate!
Barb

[Jill]

I love that block! It is very cool!

And thanks for the recipe!

[Kerry]

Your block looks lovely, and the colours you have used have really shown it up....And recipes too, what more could we ask for.

[Sheila Carita]

You sure are a busy woman!!

I love your block for the 100 Block Blog Hop... the colors are beautiful! Can't wait to see the magazine.

Loved the family pic with the matching outfits..... hahahah My family did the same thing! What were our parents thinking??? All the hand me downs would be the same!

Sheila

shecarita(at)yahoo(dot)com

[Char]

Ooooh. Those coconut balls look YUMMY!!

[Beth Patrick]

good idea using the large print for the big triangles,, I have some Christmas fabric that just might work.
and the coconut balls - sound delish! and no cooking!!! My kind of recipe!
thanks for sharing
Beth in Dallas

[Jess]

Those coconut balls sound yummy!
I love your quilt block, very cool!

[Jill Neely]

Great recipe and block~

[Jill Neely]

Thank you for sharing your heritage and recipe, very interesting.

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawlG9MzWkWy0InQsn0dyuHKPtr_Yx1S3k68]

The Quiltmakers 100 Blocks looks like fun. And the coconut cookies looks delicious. Thank you for the recipe. Koye

[Jaylene]

Thanks for the recipe. I can hardly wait to make it. Love the block too.

[SewLindaAnn]

Your block is so great. Fun colors and I love what they do to the design. Thanks for the stories, for both Hops. I remember eating at the kids table and waiting patiently to be old enough to move up to the adults table. We didn't have so many to take turns but there were a lot of us. Thanks!

[Becky in Georgia]

Love your quilt block! I laughed right out loud with your burping contests. Sounds like my family. Fun!

[Kathy]

Your block is wonderful. Can't wait to see this magazine on the newsstands. The recipe looks interesting. I bet they would also be good rolled in finely chopped nuts...

[Chris Huesers]

I love messy - so I'm going to have to try your cookies. :-)

[Nancy]

Oh, my gosh! Those coconut balls are right up my alley. I can't wait to make them.
Nancy in WI

[Lorraine Bradley]

These are delicious......yummy...thank you.

[Maria Isabel]

Hermoso Gracias bloque por su regalo
javasa4@hotmail.com

[Nancy]

thank you for your hard work, memory, and cookie recipe.

Fun to see the different projects
Nancy in IN

[ToVah]

I am so excited to try those....a treat without eggs, my little boy will be so excited.

[Melissa C]

I love the layout of color in that block. Things like this help me make arrangement choices so much easier.

[Jackie Naegle]

What a nice site and I love the pattern and will try to get it done for Christmas. Thanks. Jackie

[Jody in Marion IA]

I love hearing about your memories from Iceland!