The New Normal

Daddio always helped me out on holiday baking day.

Instead of Daddio I had to rely on my new toy-and The Mister. It wasn't the same but it's the way it is. Life goes on.

The Mister took over Daddio's job of putting the jam in the thumbprints. I confess to having a lump in my throat but I didn't cry. I'm over crying for things lost. I'm not lost yet so I better make merry while I can.

While we were baking the day away, a plum pudding was steaming on a back burner.

For something new, I made some mincemeat crumble bars. They are good. Very good. The recipe came on the jar. I need to write it down because it's a keeper.

Daughter asked for iced nutmeg logs. We made them.

Watching The Mister fight with the cookie press was too funny. We got a small batch before he gave up in disgust. Tee, hee...

I iced some vegan gingerbread men for Son who flew in last night.

The Mister's favorites are the Hello Dollies that my grandmother always made. They are good.

Ta da... the plum pudding is done and now wrapped in brandy waiting for it's big show on Christmas night. Lord, don't let me burn down the house with it. Amen.

Visions of Sugar Plums

 We had our second dress rehearsal at the rink last Sunday which meant I had to pack up all the scenery and costumes and drive them an hour to the rink.

The Mister is a wizard at packing so getting it there was no trouble. Getting it all back was not good. Not good at all. I had to stop twice and repack so I could see.

 There it is. The gingerbread house I slaved over for months. Thank goodness I had a crew of parents to help me set it all up. Last time it took me over three hours. I should also say that this is only one team's scenery. I still have five more pieces from the large team's scenery that I didn't get to photograph. Next time.

 Our gingerbread boy looks splendid in front of it. We also have two adult sized gingerbread people but those costumes are not here yet.

 Our sugarplum fairies looked beautiful. We bought their costumes. I am so over making tutus and you can buy nice ones for next to nothing. I just had to sew candy on them.

The little peppermints looked adorable. There are eight all together and they are too cute doing their peppermint twist. I hope the judges think so too.

What I Came Home With

 Daughter discovered these cute little reindeers on the knit tree we saw yesterday at Homestead Gardens. She did an acrobatic act with The Mister to pull them off the top of the giant tree. I pretended I didn't know them. Now I wish I'd gotten a photo.

At first I resisted them but I am glad Daughter talked me into getting them . They look adorable on the tree. We both got a set.

Daughter always gets me a star for my tree and this is the 2015 addition to my collection. Pretty soon I'm going to have to get a third tree to hold all my treasures. No complaints there. I've got another corner and I saw lots of cute little sparkly trees at the garden center. Maybe next year.

The Annual Field Trip

 Daughter insists we trek out to Homestead Gardens every Christmas for a look at their holiday finery. Since it was our first chilly day in ages, I dressed for the occasion in my Lillehammer socks and sweater. I looked like a silly old elf but at my age I'm pretty sure dressing silly on holidays is a requirement.

 It was dusk when we arrived and the place was just lighting up.

 It was still light enough though for a quick visit to the critters.

 I was freezing to death but the goats were having a good old time trying to figure out how to get the pretzel I was eating.

 The giant greenhouses are filled with magic during the holidays.

 Life sized reindeer hang from the ceiling.

 That's a little caravan decorated for the season. I want one just like it.

 There was a tree that was hung with knit things.

 Daughter wanted me to bring this stuffed sheep home but as cute as he was, I have no room for anymore stuffed anythings.

 Daughter is a serious shopper. She had a cart filled in no time.

 We wandered from room to room picking up things from here and there.

 The newest section was filled with materials for making fairy gardens. There were tables and tables of the sweetest little plants in tiny pots. So cute.

 There were also as many shelves filled with doo dads to populate your fairy world. If I had anything close to a green thumb I would have bought some fixin's and made a go of it. They had people demonstrating how to put them together and it looked like fun but no......enough hobbies. I can't keep up now.

 The train was running at full speed. There was quite an audience of little people enjoying the show.

 There were poinsettias and Christmas cactus in every color. I was tempted but came to my senses. As I said before, green things never have a happy ending chez moi.

The illumination area was a sparkling wonderland. You don't want to see the pricetag on any of it. Ouch. It's pricey stuff.

 Before we left we enjoyed the fire for a bit but brrrrr......it was windy and cold. I'm ready for spring. That long warm spell spoiled me for winter. Forget snow, give me some sun.

Finally....happy winter solstice! And a special happy birthday to #1 Grandson who is 3 today. It was just yesterday we were celebrating his first Christmas. Time sure flies!

Holiday This and That

That's the last bite of one of my fruitcakes. I ate the whole thing. Not all at once but over a week. It was good. Very good. After the one I always gift to Son, I've still got two left. Thank goodness.

I've also made a big dent in the fancy candy.

I bought it the day I found the coffee cups I was looking for. I had to go to HomeGoods, Marshall's and TJ Max but now I have two. One for me and one for The Mister to sip our holiday brew. Ho, ho, ho.

 I also need to say a BIG thank you to Judy S. who sent me this surprise in the mail. I've been meaning to read this since it was published and now I get the chance. Thanks Judy!

 Speaking of reading, I just finished my latest in the Flavia de Luce series. It was a cozy holiday mystery that was enjoyable for the backstory but I have to admit the ending left me scratching my head. It's a whodoneit that needed a bit more whydoneit imho.

My holiday sock yarn showed up lickity split only to get tucked away for quieter times.

Right now I have more important things to do than knit socks. I've got a Santa puzzle to get together by New Year's.

Road Knitting

 Son's cardi has been mostly knit while I've been on the road. Things have been so crazy busy at home that the only quiet time I have these days is in the car.

 I live so far away from everything that I always have to allow lots of time to get anywhere and if there is no traffic I get some knitting time in the parking lot of wherever I ended up early.

It's been quite a juggling act with all the pieces going at once but I can say there has been progress made. Hopefully this week things will be calm enough to get this thing finished. Skating show rehearsals are done. Soap is done. Giant gingerbread houses are done. I am looking forward to sitting and knitting and then sitting some more while watching all those Christmas movies gathering dust on the shelf. Yeah, baby.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

I had big plans for making my own cards this year. I bought tons of paper.

I bought the Cuttlebug and a zillion dollars worth of dies and embossing folders.

I added lots of new holiday stamps to my collection.

I found a giant mitten punch on ebay.

In spite of all my fabulous supplies, that's the best I could come up with this year. I just didn't have the time to sit and play long enough to figure out how to put it all together. There was just too much going on between the scenery construction, skating shows and mass soap production for me to wrap my brain around any creative card construction.

The cure for my dilemma is to get help from the experts. I joined the card of the month kit club at Simon Says stamp. Every month I'll get the materials and the video instructions on how to take all these toys and make something that looks better than what I managed to do in haste this year. After a year of learning paper crafting skills, I'll be ready for next Christmas-and maybe even Valentine's Day if I am really optimistic.

I also want to thank Daughter for this big birthday surprise. It's a $50 gift certificate to who know where and.......

....I got tired of being tempted by this gorgeous stuff that I've been seeing on everyone's blogs so I went and treated myself. It is winging it's way from Webs as we speak. It won't be socks (or even cast on) by this Christmas but it's a sure thing for next year.