Visions of Sugar Plums

 

I haven't put a single stitch in single project in ages but I have tried to figure out how to use my small air fryer for holiday baking. It took a lot of experimentation.

I really, really wanted a mince pie and couldn't find one in the shops so.....

...I made some mincemeat and gave it a try using a little pie pan that would fit in the fryer. 

I set it on a low temp so it would have a long bake and in no time at all the spicy smell of mincemeat filled the house. 

I couldn't believe it. It was perfect. I did pop it out the the tin and turn it over to crisp up the bottom crust a bit. I had a slice at dinner and it was a good as a mince pie gets. It held its shape beautifully. I was so chuffed that I used the leftovers and made a little mincemeat tart which was equally delicious. 

Then I got to work filling the little cookie tin. After several tries I figured out you also have to turn them over and give the back a bake to get them crisp. The hard part was letting them cool down before you handle them or they just break apart. I ate a lot of rejects. Making 4 cookies at a time in the small fryer was a bit of a slog but with the right holiday music and a mug full of boozy eggnog they were a very nice couple of afternoons indeed. 

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding

 

We made the trip out to Homestead Gardens on my birthday so I could bring back a new ornament for my already over loaded little tree. This year I brought back a glass plum pudding.

That might seem like an odd choice for some but I am a person who has their very own plum pudding mold and I'm not afraid to use it. 

Before we even went ornament shopping I had already gathered up what I needed to make this year's pudding so when I saw the little glass pudding on display I knew it had to come home with me. 

Not having a working oven, my holiday dessert choices are rather limited but puddings steam on top of the stove so it's a good thing I really, really like plum pudding. 

It hissed and sizzled for four hours and made the house smell wonderful.

It popped right out of the mold to cool off. I'll give it a good soak with brandy and then pop it back into the mold until Christmas dinner when I get to light it on fire.

While the pudding was steaming I was mixing up some dough and cutting out some sugar cookies. After chilling them overnight I am going to see what happens if I stick them in the air fryer. Not having an oven doesn't bother me a bit for 51 weeks out of the year but this week it's really annoying. We're going back to battling Frigidaire for a replacement after New Year's. Maybe by next Christmas I'll have something that works-but I'm not hopeful. 

Holiday Field Trip

 

BC-before Covid we used to take a yearly trek out to Homestead Gardens before Christmas to get a new ornament for the tree. 

The last time we were out there it was 2018 and we were running through the snow through the critter pens. They had a wonderful assortment of barnyard friends that we loved to visit. On Friday this is what we found in place of the pens. Gone-all gone. I was so disappointed. I really wanted to see the goats and the llamas. 

The inside was still beautiful but half of what it used to be. 

There were plenty of poinsettias to be had. We were wondering what they do with them all after Christmas.

The Grand loved the train room. He could have sat there all day watching them go round and round.

The elf workshop was new. It was all in motion but those elf faces..... they were something that could give you nightmares. 

Then there was Cash Register Kitty. I thought it was stuffed until it popped its head up and startled the heck out of me. The sign in front of her explains that her name is Elsie and she is the CEO of the joint. The place was packed with people and several dogs yet she just sat there calmly overseeing her realm. Now that's one cool kitty. 

Oh, Darn!

 

So yesterday was my birthday and Daughter and I had plans to meet at our favorite Christmas nursery for an afternoon of ornament shopping. The day before I had carefully unpacked and washed Lofoten to wear and when I went to try it on.....IT HAD A HOLE IN IT right in the front. I've only wore it once since I finished it last year so it was a big surprise of the VERY unpleasant variety. 

It didn't look like bug damage to me. It seems that one strand of the Wool of the Andes had just drifted apart-a problem I've been having more and more with my beloved Knit Picks yarn. I've had it happen a couple of times with the Advent sweaters. I didn't have any more of the Bramble Heather to do a proper darning so I just sewed it up on the back with some gray thread making sure I caught the open loops where the strand broke. I tied off that broken strand the best I could.

Now my beautiful Lofoten has a belly button but as Arne and Carlos always say...only God is perfect so having a flaw in your knitting is not only acceptable-in some cultures it's required.

Speaking of the Advent sweaters, #15 joined its siblings on the string last night and #16 was cast on. 

AND......what was the best birthday present I ever got? This guy. After spending my birthday in labor #1 Son was born right after midnight 45 years ago. 45 years. Wow. Seems like yesterday.
 

Sweaters and Placemats and Cards....Oh, My!

 

Every year. Every doggone year I do it to myself. I always bite off way more than I can chew right before the holidays. I start rushing through things and nothing is fun anymore. Exhibit A: I don't need another advent sweater on the line but I feel like this one needs to be there. Rush, rush, rush....stay up late and knit. 

Exhibit B: I managed to finish the first set of holiday placemats and hot pads under duress and then......

...felt compelled to start another set (Exhibit C) even before the first set was finished. Rush, rush, rush...forget about watching any holiday movies and spend all of your evenings in the sewing room sewing.

Then there is Exhibit D. On top of everything else I've been making Baby Grand's birthday invitations. I did manage to get The Mister to ink blend the backgrounds for me. That was a big help....

...but there was still an awful lot of cutting, printing and assembly to do. Rush, rush, rush....put a tray in front of the TV and work away during the World Cup semi-finals. As of yesterday they're done in spite of Winter Storm Diaz sitting on top of us unloading buckets of rain which gave me a monster migraine. 

And....speaking of birthdays. It's this little baby's 69th. Yeah, that's me and Daddio on my first birthday. 69 sounds pretty terrible but 70 sounds worse so my plan is to enjoy the heck out of this year. I'll never be any younger-or any healthier. 

Lights Out

 

I was going full throttle on those holiday placemats I've been trying in vain to finish on Tuesday night when......

....the lights went out. I was stuck in my sewing room trying to find my way out in complete darkness knowing there was a hot iron in there somewhere. It was freaky. The lights were out for several hours so The Mister built a fire to keep us warm. It was 20 degrees out so I had to round up our lone remaining outdoor kitty and bring her in because her hut wouldn't be warm. I couldn't leave her out all night. She wasn't happy being inside but she dealt with it better than I expected.

On Wednesday afternoon I finally got the binding ready to be sewn down. I could have finished them right there and then but.....

....I was more interested in playing with the new charm pack to see what I could come up with. I'm like the kids in my class when it came to the weeks before Christmas. I just can't settle my brain and stick to one thing.

Walkabout Wednesday

 

I've shown off the crab pot tree pretty much every year. 

It looks kinda crazy during the day but at night it's really pretty.

This year they have a new addition. A crab bushel tree. That's how you buy crabs-by the bushel. 

We're pretty crab crazy down here by the bay. Everyone specializes in them. You can even get handmade crab cakes at the gas station. 

Wouldn't it be nice to find a box of these under your tree on Christmas morning. Well...not really but you know what I mean. I know my family would trade a turkey for even a dozen of these anytime.