turkey feathers

Snips & Snaps

Hello friends!

The weather has been the talk of the town this week here in the Pacific Northwest, with wind, sleet, snow and ice and temperatures dropping down into the teens during the night.  Schools have closed.  Roads are treacherous.  The mailbox was frozen shut!  (LOL)

Currently, we are huddled in the kitchen wrapped in the warmth of our Christmas cookie baking, trying not to dwell (or look upon) the carnage that is happening just outside the window, as every so often, we hear a twisting shriek as another tree branch breaks off (somewhere), and falls to the ground with a thud.  Oh dear. 

 

We would much rather hear the snap and crunch of cookies being eaten.  Yes, indeed. These merry men and maidens await their sugarplum finery.  The girls make quick work with their icing bags.

Can you spot Prancer? 

My holiday checklist is nearly complete!  The Tree is up.  Christmas cards and letters have been signed, sealed and delivered.  I have most of my Christmas shopping done; having fun with the wrappings.  Those cute dotty gift bags are from Current.  Adorable sticker labels by petite alma (purchased thru Amazon).

Besides all this loot under-wraps, the knitting needles are clicking, the needle and thread are flying, the glue is drying--and it's all very hush-hush as we hustle and bustle to get everything done. 

I dare say, we must keep up our strength.  Which sometimes requires, Second Breakfast!  (It's a nice Hobbity sort of thing.)  After all, being homebound and hunkering due to bad weather, and shuffling comfortably around all day in one's slippers can easily lead to a wee tea, before noontime.  You know, to keep fortified.     

Fortunately, I have just the thing for that.  My tea of choice:  'Spiced Christmas' from the Family Tea Merchants, Taylors of Harrogate, based in the North Yorkshire Dales (of England), established in 1886.  This tea, I think, has just the right mix of black tea leaves, lemon, orange, and cinnamon without overpowering.  (This is an import available through our local food co-op, so I don't have a link, but there are shops and websites that carry it in the U.S. as well.)  Honestly, I don't get paid to endorse any brand or product, but merely share the things I love. 

As for the munchables...second breakfast may be many things from biscuits (aka: cookies) to mushrooms.  Since the latter are abundant right now, and high in Vitamin D, which is harder to get as the days grow shorter, mushrooms it is!  Here's how I make mine:

And that's all there is to it! 

Twilight

The twinkle lights are up!  The girls surprised us with this beautiful display.  Our snowy village gets moved around from year to year.  I think I like this location the best so far.  It runs the entire length of the cabinet units and is lit with twinkle lights that are poked in through the back of the houses to make them light up from the inside.  The red wall in the background creates a truly magical effect!  (Our village was made from a Martha Stewart kit a few years ago and is no longer available as such, but a tutorial and template can be found here.)

As the days grow shorter and darker, and much cooler, there is a change in the rhythm of our routine.  The soup pot is on a perpetual simmer again; today it's turkey stock, as I render every last bit of goodness from the vestiges of a fine Thanksgiving feast.  A feast that was enjoyed by all who gathered with us around our table.  We find ourselves grateful for so many things, but mostly for each other.  And...of course, pie!  Gobble.

There's a Christmas tree farm just around the corner from our house, and as luck would have it, a break in the storm has provided an opportunity to take a walk down the back road for a look around.  The air smells of citrus and pine.  So many beautiful trees, await their fate!   

 

B-r-r-r.  It was a chilly 37 degrees this morning.  Still acclimating.  Back inside, where it's warm, I have made a bit of progress on the quilt.  This is the first time I've quilted using embroidery floss.  I am still trying to decide if I like it.  I do like that it was faster than traditional hand-quilting.  Way faster.  But even having marked it out with guide lines, the stitches don't line up as neatly as I would like.  Hmmm.  Am I making too much of this, should I just keep going, or rip and start over? 

In the meantime, while I ponder that stitching dilemma, there are many things that are making me happy these days.  That are perfect in their own lovely way.  Such as the long-awaited HoneyCrisp and Mandarines that have just arrived at our local food co-op.  YUM.  And, how I LOVE these printed papers (from issue #70 of MollieMakes).  I am going to slip these into acrylic box frames and hang them on the wall.  When the season is over I can easily replace them with others.  If you can't get your hands on a magazine, you can visit the artist Victoria Johnson on her beautiful website. 

'Tis the Season!