Tree, Halvah, and a gift to myself

The tree in the sun room has a Teddy bear tree skirt and a wild assortment of teddy bears around the base. Actually, just earlier the bears had to squish together so my granddaughter could put the Nativity set up. It always has a spot right underneath the tree. I should have waited to take the picture until she was done.

Are you familiar with Halvah? It is a sort of cake made with ground sesame seeds and honey. It's a tradition around here at Christmas and this year we chose one with Pistachios.  Yumm! ( We had to sample it!)

I was in the thrift store on Friday and bought myself a Christmas present. I wasn't going to buy any more china ( running out of space) but this set is so delicate and pretty I gave in. The words underneath are  Seltmann weiden  Germany USZ. I looked it up and it would seem that this marks it as made between 1946 and 1948. ( The USZ stands for U.S. zone)

Thanks for coming by.   I hope you have a great week ahead. 

  Granny Marigold

Decorating begins

                          The living room tree is up and decorated in white.

 I got out the Christmas throw and pillow with the pins on it.    

               The Teddy Bears got their little tree and special tea set.
 

              The dining room has a few Christmassy things too.
 

Tomorrow being the first day of Advent I'll get out the Nativity sets and the grands will set those up. The sunroom tree is all done as well. I'll have pictures of that tomorrow.  

Hope you are having a great day!     Granny Marigold

Blustery Day

Oh but the wind today is very gusty! On my walk this morning the wind was swirling large bunches of leaves in mini tornadoes.  The power is out for some; so far we have been lucky.

The humidity is very low and I sure can tell. My hair is being unmanageable. Maybe I should try rubbing it with a Bounce sheet?  Might even work.   Anyone have a solution for fly-away hair?

I was thinking of making my Christmas cake today but with the threat of no power I decided to wait until tomorrow.   Hopefully by then the wind will have died down.

On my walk I spied this pair of Hooded Mergansers on the lake. Every winter we get a pair spend the coldest months here. I wonder if it's the same pair that returns? Are they not beautiful?

         (This pic is from the internet. I didn't have my camera with me).

Thanks for visiting.   Have a great day.       Granny Marigold

Simply Sunday

Christmas is just a month and a few days away and I'm starting to put a few things out, beginning with this wall hanging which hangs in the front hall. This is where the grands put on their outer wear and leave for school so they have really enjoyed looking at this quilted piece while they wait to go.

The littlest and his granddad put up the tree in the sunroom. The decorating will wait until Thursday because the grands have no school Thursday and Friday.  

After the tree was up we walked to the nearby school ground where the boy and the dog had fun running around on this nice November day.  Chilly, but still not that cold. ( That's his orange ball that Bracken is carrying around)

I noticed that the school has now put up a couple of "Buddy Benches".  Have you heard of the idea?  Children who are looking for playmates can go sit there and others then know they want to be included. Isn't that a great idea?  

I hope you're having a peaceful Sunday and are ready for the week ahead. I know that for my American friends it's going to be a busy one as preparations are made for Thanksgiving!

Thanks for coming by.  Comments are always nice so I know you were here.

          Granny Marigold

My Great Day

This morning my cousin called to say she was going to be in my area and did I want to go thrift shopping with her. Well, we all know what my answer was. We went first to a rather large store where she didn't find what she was looking for. Just down the street is the Salvation Army thrift store where I seldom go because the parking is awful. She was undeterred and we browsed a bit, found a few things and paid for them. As we turned to go I saw there was an area marked Vintage that we hadn't seen. So off we went and the first thing that caught our eyes was a lovely old quilt. She picked it up and had me help her open it to see how big it was and if it was in good shape. ( it is 80 by 68 inches, and needs a bit of repair along one edge). She decided she didn't want it but I don't think she had even put it down before I had it in my hands. The two tiny tea cups were what I bought first...

              and here is the quilt!  The different kinds of fabric are so pretty!!

 
                        This is the backing.  I have washed it and put it in the dryer. I know I was taking a chance on doing some damage but I have to wash everything I buy at any thrift store as soon as I get it home!!  It survived quite well.

So that, my friends, is what I did today. All that remains to be done is that daily job of making supper!   Although tomorrow is my shopping day I still have an assortment of veggies in the fridge which I will stir fry and DH has a Ham steak so that's what we eat tonight. Thanks for reading this rather long post.
        Granny Marigold

Morning Walk

The morning after the storm dawned clear and on the chilly side. I expected to see trees down but I saw none.  A lot more leaves on the ground.

          The water level on the lake is high but with all the rain that is not surprising.

I couldn't resist picking up a few more leaves to bring home and press. I find them so irresistible. Pick up any heavy book in my house and you're almost guaranteed to find pressed leaves.

This afternoon I plan on baking bread and making a pot of soup.  What are your plans?

Thanks for visiting.      Granny Marigold

Rain

We are in the middle of a rain storm today. Besides the rain we also have strong gusty winds and the power was out this morning for an hour or so. Fortunately we have a small generator that can run lights , the furnace, as well as the fridge and freezer.

Obviously I didn't go for a walk today. I've been tidying things ( a never ending job) and generally keeping myself occupied. I am between books at the moment but the latest Louise Penny mystery is waiting to be picked up at the library.  Since I also need to pick up milk I may just go get the book . Has anyone else read any of her books?  I find she has great story lines but some of her characters I find so absolutely dumb that I have vowed not to read any more of her stuff. Then she writes another book and I think...Oh, I'll see how this one goes.

Nothing much to blog about today so I'll just wish you all a great week!

 

 


                                                           Granny Marigold

This week in My Kitchen

It occurs to me that the food I post about all seems to be 'sweet'. Maybe that's because I find making actual meals a chore whereas sweets are so wonderfully rewarding. Because I don't eat meat my suppers consist of veggies and sometimes potatoes ( well, they are a veggie too) or pasta. DH, who still likes his meat, will make himself a steak or chicken piece or whatever he wants in addition to what I've prepared.  So you see that suppers are not very inspiring.

So here's what I've made this week.  Three small jars of peach jam ( have to have jam  on my morning toast).

A surprisingly healthy dessert... Crustless Pumpkin pie  ( served with 95% fat free Cool Whip)

I'm still using those little apples that we were given. I made Apple Crisp in little ramekins. Apples and Oatmeal...what's not healthy about that?

 I bake bread from time to time but for my toast I like a nice whole grain bread full of all sorts of seeds. I buy it at a small local bakery and every time you buy a loaf they stamp your little card.  When you have 12 stamps you get a free loaf. I thought since it was a free loaf I'd try something different and chose this Apricot/Raisin bread. It is wonderful but I'd never pay over $6  for a loaf of bread. See how packed with fruit it is? A bit of butter on that and I have everything I need.

What's been happening in your kitchen this week?  And how do you cope with the endless need for suppers? Do you have a rotating menu, like some do?  When all 5 kids were still at home I had a rotating 2 week schedule. ( That often featured ground hamburger. Ugh! THAT was a sacrifice for me to have to deal with). Thanks for visiting.        Granny M.

A Storm and some thrifty finds

We are having awful weather!  A wind and rain storm is beating down on us. I saw on the news that ferry service to Vancouver Island is cancelled. Shelters have been found for the homeless to go to.. Very nasty night to be out there.  I'm very happy to hole up safe and warm ( and know that we have a generator in case the power goes out).

A trip to the thrift store was just what I needed today. I was looking for yet another Susan Branch book.... and I found it ( the top one is the 'new' one) . I now have these three. Don't you love her illustrations?

HGTV magazines are my current favourites. Sometimes, by the end of the day, when I can't read my book any more I just want to page through a bright and cheery magazine that I didn't have to pay $6 for.   At .25 each these are great and when I'm done with them I'll either pass them on to my daughter or take them back to the thrift store.

Also found these pretty home sewn placemats in a set of six for all of 3.50.  The floral side is not so Christmassy that I won't use them all year round. 

 The reverse side has a holly design which obviously will be for the holiday season.  Once I've washed them and maybe touched them up a bit with the iron they'll be ready to use.

I hope you're warm and cozy this late Fall evening.  Thanks for coming by and seeing what I'm up to.

        Granny Marigold

Birdwatching

Coldest morning so far this season. 0 C. A few clouds in the sky when I left on my walk but by the time I was on my way back there were a lot more. I noticed that the Buffleheads have returned to spend the winter on the lake.
 All of the pictures today are from the internet.

I saw some female Northern Shovelers. I wonder if the males were in a different spot on the lake or if they come later. 

                This rather fuzzy photo shows a pair of them. Again, from the internet.

 Back home again and having a cup of tea I noticed that the Chickadees were even more busy than usual. They are such cheerful birds and quite unafraid of us.

This fellow has been coming to the feeder for sunflower seeds the past few days. It's a Red Breasted Nuthatch and I hope he stays around. Nuthatches have the strangest call ( there is no way to call that 'honk' of his a song.)

                 They will feed upside down just as soon as right side up.  Very cute to watch.

I hope you are having a great day.   Spend some time outside if you can.


                                      Granny Marigold

Sunday Drive

After yesterday's heavy rain we were happy to have a much nicer day today. We took a drive to see a young friend's new home in a small town some 50 km ( 30 miles) away. It is a brand new 3 bedroom townhouse....so lovely that I, who love my older home, was almost envious. Of course I couldn't fit very many of my shrubs and flowers in a teeny back yard so I'd better stay where I am. Anyway, we had a very pleasant drive.

Once back in town I asked my DH to stop so we could have a photo of these newly built townhouses. I love the look with no garage in sight and the way each unit is  a different colour than its neighbours.

Are you ready for the new week?  For some the fact that Wednesday is Remembrance Day and a day off work will be a bigger deal than for those of us who are retired. You could say that every day is a day off for us.

Thanks for visiting.

      Granny Marigold