How wonderful to have a blog hop again. Thank you so much to Carol for indulging us a bit this year (along with Joan) for some hops. This hop is how I first found Carol many years ago and discovered the wonderful bloggers in this crowd. I am ever so grateful! Today happens to also be National Cookie Day, look at me being right on schedule with my day!!
I haven’t posted in quite a long time, but I’ve been keeping busy nonetheless. In May, I made the rough decision to quit my toxic workplace. It was an emotional roller coaster and I worked hard to land a better job for myself. I’m the art therapist in another assisted living facility. It’s been a nice transition for me, for which I am grateful. My boss is nice, not abusive like my previous one, and I’m lucky to have lovely coworkers. The residents are terrific and I am extremely fond of several of them. I am building my programs and getting to do some wonderful projects. Today I even brought my sewing machine in!
They play a lot of Bingo in this community. Yes, it’s a stereotype, but it is true!! Seniors love Bingo for some reason. We even do “Pizza Bingo” where they have a slice or two, some salad and “diet coke” before diving into 4 games. Like most senior facilities, we have a separate memory unit for people with a diagnosis of dementia. They do Bingo on that unit as well. They need more help to stay focused, but they also get a kick out of winning a game. For this hop, I knew I had to try my hand at sewing some little things to donate as Bingo prizes for our Memory Unit. They tend to get short changed in senior living communities and I wanted to treat them to something extra!
I thought a little Christmas stocking could be a fun prize. Can you believe, this was the first time I ever made one? I was excited to find the right pattern. I wanted a fully lined stocking with the cuff a different fabric. There are so many to choose from, but I began with this pattern by Diaryofaquilter.com for a Quick and Easy Christmas Stocking Pattern and Tutorial. While I love her instructions, the small size that I chose was too narrow for my liking. I still managed to stick some goodies in them, but I wanted to try a different pattern.
This small pattern from Sewcanshe.com called Adorable Mini Christmas Stocking was perfect! The template is a little chunkier with more room for goodies inside. It was equally easy to sew, with plenty of room to push the sealed lining back inside. In addition, there are optional toe and heel appliqués that are fun extra touches. Here are a few of the stockings I made, but only 3 of the 15 cause I forgot photographs! I added a little ribbon and when they were stuffed with chocolate candies and beaded bracelets, they made wonderful holiday Bingo prizes.
Since it’s National Cookie Day, I had to make a quick batch of the classic Chocolate Chip Cookies we all love. I found the recipe here at Joyfoodsunshine.com. I used regular chocolate chips, and added cinnamon plus pumpkin pie spice! I used a healthy 3 tablespoon of dough for each cookie rolled onto the tray. In total, I got about 30 cookies instead of the 36 mentioned on the recipe. I have to say, the cookies stayed full and didn’t spread out, which is not my norm. They are a nice, puffy and generous three inches each. I’m keeping this recipe handy. These are going in the freezer for Chanukah, before they all get snatched up!
Thanks so much for stopping by. It’s a wonderful tradition to keep this hop going and I thank everyone who organized and participated!! Please check out the other posts from today. Happy Holidays to everyone!!
Linking up to: Patchwork & Quilts, Oh Scrap, Slow Sunday Stitching, Wednesday Wait Loss, Needle and Thread Thursday , Finished Or Not Friday, Off The Wall Fridays,
DECEMBER 1st
DECEMBER 2nd
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That Fabric Feeling YOU ARE HERE!!
That Fabric Feeling 
Your new job sounds lovely, and the stockings and pouches turned out beautiful! xx
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I’m so happy for you, finding a good job isn’t always easy, and it’s so important to feel good about it. Well done on the gifts for the residents, I can see you’ve made them very happy! Love these fun stockings with toes and heels!
Thank you so much for sharing and linking up!
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Thanks so much for hosting! I do feel good about my job. I gave out one stocking today for Bingo and saw a resident smile. That makes it worthwhile!
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Congratulations on the change in jobs; it’s always a frightening thing to do. Of course, I’m also happy that it’s right up your alley, too. The sweet little projects are perfect for the residents. Thanks, also, for the chocolate chip cookie recipe. Cookies and stockings sound wonderful when paired together!
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Thanks so much. It was one of those things where I had no choice. I couldn’t stay anymore and so I just did what I had to do. I put up with it for several months until it became impossible. Life is just too short to be miserable! I’m so grateful for these returning hops. I miss them terribly but understand how much work it all is. Thankfully this one is a tradition we can keep so far!!! Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy holidays to you and your family!!
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Thanks for the reply. Happy Holidays to you, too. LJ
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Congratulations on your new job! It sounds like you and the residents are having a lot of fun. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
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Your little stockings are so cute and how wonderful that you make them for the Bingo prizes at the ALF. I’m glad you like your new job. It seems like a great fit from what you say. Thanks for sharing your recipe as well.
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Brenda, It is a good job for me. I am breathing easier not working in an abusive environment. Life is too short for that. Happy Holidays to your and your family!
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Such cute stockings and those cookies look yummy. Finding the right job makes life so much better. So glad that worked out for you.
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Thank you. I was very happy at the previous job for over 6 years but new management changed everything. I’m very happy to be somewhere better and able to breathe easy again. Thanks so much for stopping by!!
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Cute stockings for the residents. Chocolate chip cookies are always yummy. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Thanks so much for stopping by. I had so much fun. I’m just annoyed at myself for not taking photos of all the things I made.
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Oh, Elana, I’m sorry you had to deal with a bad work environment, but I’m so glad you had the courage to get the heck out of there. It sounds like you found the perfect landing spot. I love the little stockings and bags with bracelets…so cute! The cookies look yummy and I think I gained 10 pounds just looking at them. Thank you for your wonderful support and inspiration! xo
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Thanks so much. It was 9 months or so of misery that kept getting worse. I’ve never encountered a narcissistic boss before and everyone was suffering, but mostly me. I tried to stay and work the system but there just is no way to find peace when someone creates a toxic environment and is your superior. I just got off the phone with a former colleague and they’re still miserable, but it’s not my problem anymore. I do love the community I found myself in now and it’s professional, kind, spacious and focused mostly on the right things. No place is perfect! That you for much for the blog hops you bring back. I miss our gang but honestly, I’ve been so busy that I’m not sure how much I would be able to participate. I won’t miss this one though!! I would secretly love a valentine’s day one too…but understand we all have other lives’ to live!!
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Congratulations on finding a job that was the “right” fit for you. The stocking and pouches you made are just adorable and I am sure they brought many smiles. I am going to try your chocolate chip cookies with pumpkin, they sound amazing. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
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Joan, I love anything pumpkin so that sounds great!! They really were cookies that held their shape, unusual for my recent recipes! Thanks on the congrats…it has been a journey. I’m proud of myself for trying and pushing through until I couldn’t anymore. I worked hard to find the right next workplace for myself. I had several different options and this one felt like the best fit. Nothing is perfect in life but no one should be harassed or abused in the workplace!!! No one!!! Further, as a statement in support of senior care everywhere…how you treat your staff definitely impacts the residents in the facility as well!!
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How wonderful to make those little stockings for prizes! I’m sure the residents enjoyed getting them! Your cookies look perfect–and good! Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice–what’s not to like about that? Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks so much Carol. They did love them, although I was in a different unit and only saw photos. We’re doing “holiday bingo” all month so hopefully there will be more opportunities. December is actually “Bingo Month”…and yes, that’s a things too!! Crazy but a game of chance really makes those seniors so happy. On the memory unit, they enjoy focusing on the numbers and playing alongside one another. It can be challenging for them in different ways so a win is a big deal!!!
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