Festive Stuff

The winds here have been mighty and amazing!  We don't have snow so we cannot jump in our sleighs with our friends and glide through the drifts.

Have you made candy and cookies? Do you have candy canes on your tree?

I made a hat for my dear friend Sondra!  I have two pair of socks that are almost off the needles.  I really want to snuggle into my hobbit hole and knit, knit, knit.  

Kelli and the girls and another friend and her daughter went to the castle at Glen Eyrie where the Navigators headquarters  lives.  We had tea in the castle.  The most interesting feature of the tea experience was the green tea/green pea soup!  It was very tasty.  The tea tray offerings were different, too.  No cookies, just funky little tarts and other bite size somethings. 

Yesterday some of us in our Bible study met together at my favorite chapel and read and sang together.  It was very cold in the chapel but our raised voices of song and words of scripture were lovely!  What a sweet Advent blessing!

My friend Kim taught me how to make candles and told me where to get the supplies.  I made soap and candles for my Bible study friends. They were a bit messy but next time I will do better!

I am rich in lemons.  My sweet comrade sent me lovely California fruit!  

And here is the bird gumdrop tree.  You can buy gumdrop trees with more branches and gumdrops do look like sugar plums when they are on a tree.

Yesterday I did not feel as festive as I would like, but today I do. I think I will buy some branches at the grocery store this morning, give them a fresh clip and place them around the house.  Yesterday I put fresh rosemary, a lemon, and vanilla in a pan and brought them to a simmer. It smelled very sweet.  I must bake cookies for my book group tonight.  I will put chocolate chip cookie dough in small muffin tins and when they come out of the oven I will place a small Reese's Peanut Butter cup in the middle of each one. I have made sugar cookies once and I'll make them again before Christmas Eve.  

I am waiting for my new pink eyeglasses to come.  They are taking forever!  

Thank you for checking on me!  Big HUG!

 

Curtains All Around the House

Yay for the first of December 💓 It's cheerful around here with lots of red and white.  Do you change your mind regarding Christmas decorations from year to year? 

We had a yummy Thanksgiving meal.  Kelli made the gravy and it was perfect.  Soph's husband carved the turkey and helped serve pie.  

I have been tired for five days.  Today after an eye appointment (new glasses - pink!) I came home and had leftover turkey for lunch and ice cream for dessert.  I think I'll make mac and cheese for dinner.  I was watching a YouTube vlog and the vlogger mentioned that thing in Norway (and probably Sweden) when you make 8 kinds of cookies (or is it 7 kinds?) and I thought that sounded like a nice idea.  I need more organic flour though.  I did what Granny Marigold suggested and took my French bread dough out of the bread maker before it baked.  It was very moist and floppy but it was very tasty, so that's what I will do from now on.  Anyway, will you make 8 kinds of Christmas cookies?  

This is my hot water bottle holder. It's very nice and warming.

 I found my red checked garage curtains in my Christmas boxes.  They are very faded on the side that faced the sun but the other side looks good so I hung them around the house.  I like to use tension rods and put curtains everywhere. It seems very forest-y to me, cozy.

More Christmas curtains and a quilt for a tablecloth!

I moved the weird yellow rocking chair into the kitchen.  Do you have a chair in your kitchen?

On Small Business Saturday I HAD to go to the yarn store because I don't want them to EVER close their doors.  I might make a yellow hat so I can wear sunshine on my head.

Last night Jeff's family came for Advent. We sang and read scripture.  Prayed.  It was good.  I did pull out my Advent books today and I might read them tonight if I can keep my eyes open👵

I ordered gumdrops for my gumdrop tree.  Last year I neglected to put the drops on the tree.  I am not buying lots of poinsettias this year.  I was going to, because I always do, but I don't want them after Christmas, so it seems wasteful.  

This December I want to think about how glad I am that I believe in Jesus, the Savior of the world.  I can't imagine life without Him.

I hope your December is off to a peaceful start.  

Thank you for popping in!