Welcome December

 

 

Keeping on with my decorating, the sideboard and treadle sewing machine look very much the same as they did last year. I added a few new things but mostly it's all my old favourites.

 

The snow and ice we got earlier in the week was beginning to melt but then we got another, heavier dump of snow. Schools were closed. My eye appointment was postponed.The news was full of tales of vehicles stranded or worse, in accidents. Winter has arrived, no doubt about it.
We celebrated our anniversary very quietly. It was our 59th. We were very young and look very serious. Our church didn't allow photos during the actual wedding so this was taken afterwards, hence the empty background.

That's it for today. Thanks for coming by,  GM

Christmas Discoveries and Ducks

 I enjoy discovering things like Christmas linen or platters that I forgot I had,  packed away after last Christmas.  Each one is like an old friend.

The Advent wreath also had to be brought out and set on the table in the sunroom. I found I had 3 pink candles but lacking a purple one for the 4th Sunday Advent, I used a white one. Until this year I just used 4 red candles or even white ones.  If you use a Advent wreath, do you go by the special candle colours?

We had snow and freezing rain in the night Sunday to Monday and the paths around the lake were still slippery. I hung on to DH as we walked and that worked out fine.  We saw 2 Eagles cuddled up close to each other in the tree they most often choose. It was like they were trying to keep warm.  We also saw many Shovelers and again I noticed that they swam in  circles. I googled this behaviour and found that they cooperate by swimming around and each duck does its part by stirring up food for the duck behind it. I find that so interesting.

I didn't have my camera so the pictures below are off the internet.

 

 Thanks for visiting today, G.M.

Sunday Chit Chat

 I hung a swag on the front door. I gathered some greens and wired them together then eldest daughter added the pretty bow and pine cones.

 

We had a lovely walk by Fish Trap Creek in the early morning when the sky was still clear; now clouds have moved in and rain and/or snow flurries are possible for tonight and all the coming week. 

 

Tomorrow is daughter Sheila's birthday and we'll be getting together to celebrate this afternoon.
I made another tiramisu as well as making some special cookies. This time I used cream cheese instead of mascarpone in the tiramisu and I'm curious how the taste and texture will be different.

Thank you for all the lovely comments that you leave.  Diane had a question about the 2 kittens in my last post. The all black kitten is quite a few months older than the black and white one that our own Miss Kitty presented us with. 

I hope you're having a pleasant Sunday,  GM    

 

This and That

 It's a very wet morning here. Friday means grocery shopping and we let walking around the store take the place of our usual walk. I was thankful not to have to brave the rain. In spite of my big umbrella when it rains hard I come home soaked from the knees down.

A bit more in the way of decorations....Eldest daughter gave me the little red wagon. The little pine in it is one I bought after Christmas last year, greatly marked down.

 The Teddy bears have their tree as usual.

 Remember back in October granddaughter Kate took her kitten home?  I thought you might like to see how much he has grown.

 See how tiny he is compared to a hand?

 This is him now, stretched out beside his 'brother". Now that the two have worked out their problem of who's boss, they get along great.

 I hope you're having a wonderful day,  GM

Thrift Store Finds

 

 I found this odd little Christmas "tree" at the thrift store. Someone glued baby food jars together then stuck some tinsel in each jar also a little light.  My picture  isn't great but you get the idea. One just never knows what treasure there is to be found for a few dollars. When I no longer want it,  back it will go to amuse some other family.

 This pail was also a thrift store find. I gathered some of the pine cones while eldest daughter brought me more.  Slowly things are being brought out of the Christmas cupboard.

Thanks for coming by,  GM

Christmas Craft Market

 My daughters and I as well as granddaughter Kate had a lovely time browsing at a Christmas craft sale over the weekend.  Lots of pretty things to admire. 

 

 No doubt there will be a few more of this kind popping up in the next month.  After all, only 33 more days until the big day. I got the Christmas cards done today, all except one and I need to get the address for that one.
I hope your week is off to a great start.  G.M.

Nuts and Bolts

 

 

It's a fairly pleasant day,  a mix of sun and cloud. Last night the temperature dipped down to minus 4 but by noon it had risen to plus 5. On our walk we noticed that the lake is beginning to get a layer of ice all over. The forecast for next week is for slightly higher temps with rain, so the ice might melt quickly.

Do you make "Nuts and Bolts"?  It's a big favourite around here and I only make it around Christmas.
 ( yes, I'm a bit early which may well mean a second batch will have to be made).  If you are not familiar with it you can find many recipes on the internet. I took the first picture before I baked it. Then after it cooled I filled an ice cream pail which has a tight-fitting lid to keep moisture out. Not that it will last long around here.

I know many of you have your Thanksgiving celebration this week and are busy getting ready for that.
I hope you have a blessed day with your families and/or friends, or just a quiet time of reflection by yourselves. 

Granny M.

Christmas Cactus

 My Christmas cactus is blooming ( or is it a Thanksgiving cactus? I'm never sure).  The white one is a bit later and it's not as full of buds as the yellow/peach-coloured one.

 

I baked peach muffins yesterday and we all enjoyed them so much that I made another dozen today.

The fruit cake has been cut up, wrapped tightly in foil and frozen.  I noticed that it seemed a little dry so I took a skewer and poked a lot of holes in it and brushed the top liberally with rum. Hopefully that will make it more moist. I must remember to change the time on my recipe card. 2 1/2 hours is too long obviously even at a low temperature.

Have a pleasant weekend. 

Granny M.

A Book and a Cake

 

Our weather continues to be frosty in the mornings  but the clear skies bring lovely afternoons.  Lots of ducks and geese on the lake this morning but not many small birds around. Even in my back yard I don't see many. I hope Kitty isn't scaring them away.  Normally at this time of the year I'm filling the bird feeder every second day. Not this year.

So what have I been doing?  I finally finished this book. I must admit I skimmed some chapters. ( It was over 500 pages and somewhat drawn out.)

I got the Christmas cake made. The recipe I  use is from my tattered old copy of Mennonite Treasury of Recipes and is one my mom used to make. In fact, the woman who contributed that recipe was a dear friend of my mom's.  A Mrs. Peter Rosenfeld.  Remember the days when women didn't use their own first names?   Anyway, my cookbook has stains and notations as you can see.

Now I'm going to go sit on the porch with a quilt around me and enjoy the sunshine.

Thanks for coming by,  Granny M

Cleaning the Dollhouse

 I've shown the exterior of my dollhouse many times here on my blog but the inside doesn't  get seen often even by me. The whole cupboard it sits on is heavy and somewhat awkward to move into the room so that I have access to the back.  However, today was the day I decided to dust the rooms and tidy up a bit.

That's the stairs behind the sofa. The tiny spindles are so cute but there's no way I can get a proper photo.  There's even a light on the newel post. The lamp in the bedroom also lights up. Almost all of the work putting this house together was done by my eldest daughter. DH did some work especially on the lean-to kitchen which was not part of the original kit.

One day I'll try making a tiny apron to hang on one of the hooks in the kitchen. 

Meanwhile in my kitchen I made a tiramisu for the first time and I'm pleased with how it turned out. I thought it would be complicated to make but it's really simple and I'm sure I'll be making it again in the near future. I used mascarpone, which is what the recipe called for, but I'd like to try making it with cream cheese instead next time.
 

The recipe called for sifting cocoa over the top but that seemed like it would be too bitter so I used
hot chocolate mix instead.
I think it will be easier to slice tomorrow. It was still quite soft today.

Thanks for coming by,  G.M.

44 Days

 It's only 44 days until Christmas, did you know that?  I realize that for those who are thinking Thanksgiving it's probably not an issue yet.  But I'm ready to start thinking about Advent and Christmas. Tomorrow being a holiday (Remembrance Day) I'll ask one of my sons to bring the tree out of storage. No, I'm not going to decorate it just yet. Just "fluff" it up a bit and get it ready. 

Our weather continues to be chilly and tomorrow's forecast is for a chance of flurries. We'll have to wait and see. I don't like the time change but I admit that the brighter mornings are nice. We don't have to carry a flashlight in order to see where we're going.

Nothing much is happening around here. I'm hard pressed to find anything to post about. Just wanted to say HI and I hope you're having a good day. GM

Laundry Trivia

 

 

Good Monday morning. It's was very chilly walking this morning. The temperature hovered just above zero C  but the wind made it feel much colder.
Being Monday it's laundry day. When I was first married I used a wringer washer much like this one. Although my mom had used one and I was familiar with the way it worked I had never actually done laundry and had to be shown how to sort my wash etc.. by a friendly woman in the same apartment building. I continued using a wringer washer for the first  5 or 6 years. Automatic washers sure made laundry day easier.

At least I didn't have to do my wash this way.

Here is a little bits of trivia which I found interesting. Please feel free to skip them.

Can you use hydrogen peroxide to whiten clothes?

You can use hydrogen peroxide to whiten and brighten clothes, disinfect laundry, and remove stains. Pour it directly on stains such as blood. Add one cup of hydrogen peroxide to whites in the washing machine to brighten them

 

Is hydrogen peroxide better than bleach for white clothes?

 

The Results. It was actually a close call, but bleach was the big winner on the brightening front when it came to these two dingy tees. The hydrogen peroxide did a great job of lightening the shirt, but a bit of yellowing still remained. The shirt soaked in bleach looked fresh and clean after washing, clinching its win .

 Hydrogen Peroxide works differently that vinegar and is better at removing different types of stains. Hydrogen Peroxid doesn't actually remove stains___it just makes them invisible!~  It breaks up strong chemical bonds in stains including ink, and in doing so it makes stains colourless___but they're still there.

 

 I really hope I haven't bored you.  Also must admit I'm not about to

start using Hydrogen Peroxide to remove stains.  I just found these bits of information interesting.

I'm off to change the loads and get on with my day,  GM