By Sun and Candlelight

Friday Afternoon Tea ... and a Winner!

Happy Friday, my friends!

It's been a very busy day, and I almost skipped my tea break, but then I decided that on hectic days like these, taking tea is a really great idea. It gives me a chance to catch my breath, collect my thoughts and remember what's really important. So here I am ... not with "tea" today, but a big mug of milky spiced cocoa.

And speaking of mugs, I've enjoyed showing you all my favorite "Christmas Cups" this week! Today's mug is part of a set of four which came with a lovely pitcher, and I'm pretty sure I bought this set before I was even married! It's a nice heavy mug, just right for when you want more than a few delicate sips. :)

But anyhoo - the real reason I'm here right now - taking a pause in between baking and wrapping - is to announce the winner of our giveaway!

Drumroll please ....

The winner of our Christmas Cookie Package is:

TANYA W.

*❤ Congratulations, Tanya! ❤*

Earlybird and I look forward to baking your cookies and putting a package together for you! I have your email and I'll be in touch soon so we can work out mailing details. (Probably after the weekend. :))

And thank you ALL for taking the time to take part in our poll; I really enjoyed reading your responses! Food prepared with love is, to my mind, by far the most delicious - and it certainly makes some of the fondest memories!

And speaking of food - I currently have a butter-and-whiskey cake in the oven as well as a batch of chocolate-peppermint cookies cooling on the counter AND there's a pot of spiced cranberries simmering on my stovetop ...

Suffice it to say, it smells pretty darn good in here right now!

:)

Before I go, I'd also like to thank you all for joining me in my afternoon teas this week - it's been such fun, and I would like to continue this "tradition" through the Winter. I can't say I'd do it every day ... but maybe once a week? A "Tuesday Teatime" at 4:00, posted here at my blog? I think I can swing that ... and I hope you'll all continue to join me!

Well, that's all for now, dear readers ... I'll check in tomorrow and then I'll probably take a short "blog break" until just after Christmas. So until the morning, then ...

Be well, keep warm and have a good night!

❤

Thursday Tea (& Thanks)

Nothing fancy today, just my favorite "everyday" tea. No sweets or snacks to "go with" - I'm saving my appetite for dinner tonight. :)

Were you able to find time for tea today? If so, I'd love to hear about it! Wouldn't it be nice if we could all sit down and "take tea" together? 

When I sit here with my laptop and tea (or coffee, as the case may be) and I write out the thoughts that fill up these posts ... I feel like I'm sharing a little of myself with you all. I know we're not all "here" at the same time, but I do feel as though we're sharing a part of our day together. When I pop online, I'm taking a quick break - from the house, the kids, etc. - and it can be hard sometimes to do that. I'm sure you all feel the same.

So our paths may overlap or criscross or we might miss each other completely, but if I'm not "here" when you are, please know you're never far from my thoughts. I appreciate my readers so much! I'm grateful that you spend some of your time here, and I carry your kindness with me all day. Many days it puts a little extra lift in my step. :)

But for right now, I must wrap this up, because I've got some cooking to do ...

{The kitchen smells ABSOLUTELY fantastic!}

So I wish you all a pleasant evening. I'll see you again sometime tomorrow ... *

*Oh! But speaking of tomorrow ... I'm going to extend the Cookie Poll till the end of the day -  let's say, teatime ;) - because I'll be out very early in the morning. So I'll announce the cookie package winner roundabouts 4:00. 

See you all then!

❤

Happy Winter!

Sometime last night (12:30 a.m. to be exact), Winter arrived - and not as quietly as one would think - but with violent thunder, lightning, and a hard pouding rain! The storm woke up both Bill and I - though surprisingly the boys slept through it - and my first thought when I looked at the clock, was: Wow, Winter's really coming in with a bang!

Just a few hours later, though - storm over, sun on the rise - Bill slipped outside and plugged in these lights ... such fun for the boys to see when they first woke up!

And while Bill fired up the suns, I started the Solstice Cider:

This is just a blend of apple cider and cranberry juice, which I brought to a boil on the stove. I placed mulling sachets and cinnamon sticks in our pinecone mugs ...

And five minutes later the cider was ready to sip, so it was time to rustle up some boys! I also toasted some cranberry English muffins and lathered them with Crofter's Blood Orange spread. (This stuff is SO good. If you like marmalade, as I do - but are not fond of the chunky peel, as I'm not - you'll love this spread! I bought my jar at Whole Foods.)

:)

Now our day will be pretty quiet, but I do have a few things planned. This morning we'll set out treats for the birds (our favorite Winter friends) and a bit later on, the boys will make a gingerbread house with Nana. (That's the "surprise" on their Advent scroll today!)

And while the boys are out, I'll do some pre-Christmas cleaning - it will be a nice day to open windows and air things out a bit. After my 4:00 tea break, I'll start supper: a beefy cottage pie. And for dessert, I'll bake a yummy "oats & apples" crisp. 

*☀*

Now, today's weather is not very wintery at all - not for New England anyway. In fact, today will be sunny and rather mild, in the 50s. And while I can appreciate the unseasonable (but comfortable) weather, Crackerjack is just distraught we'll likely not see a white Christmas! Of course I reminded him that before long we'll have more snow than we can shake a fist at - for goodness sakes, remember last year?

So I'm off for now, but I do wish you all a Happy Solstice! And whatever Winter brings to your corner of the world, I hope it's kind to you this year! Which now has me wondering ... what is Winter like where you live?

Also, please, if you have the time and inclination, stop by this post and take part in our "Cookie Poll" today ... I'll be drawing a winner tomorrow morning!

Have a good day, my friends... see you back here sometime soon!

Brew me a cup for a winter's night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I'll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.
~ Minna Thomas Antrim

Wednesday Teatime

On this last day of autumn, it's most certainly dark, but there's no sun to speak of - just a cold, heavy rain. Days like these are just made for afternoon tea ...

My Wednesday brew is Lemon Lift, and I've paired it with one of my lemon snowballs. I'm a big fan of lemon - flavor and smell - especially when it's paired with cinnamon or ginger. (Random fact: I craved lemon through all of my pregnancies, but especially with Bookworm. To this day I adore lemon danish.)

So it's a very cozy corner I find myself in right now ...

I took my tea a little earlier than usual, because Bill and the boys headed out to do their "man shopping." :) All I know is that it concerns me - but it cannot involve me, and for a happy little while the house was really and truly quiet. And I was completely by myself. (Even the cats were asleep!) So I hurriedly switched on the kettle and readied my mug ...

I looked through the Globe food pages - all about "holiday baking" this week - and I thought about how I want these next few days to go. Less busy-ness, more mindfulness. Easier said than done at this time of year, but at least I can try ...

I also stared at this lovely print which is sitting on the opposite side of the room ... something I bought (yes, for myself!) while I was out and about this morning.

Such beautiful words, aren't they?

Bill hasn't had a chance to hang it yet, but I think it will look nice here in our sitting/learning room. The background is not quite black - more of a sooty dark brown. And the lettering is done in an off-white pinkish hue. I think it ties in with the room colors nicely.

And do you know what? I found it on clearance at T.J. Maxx!

Money well spent, I think, because I'll enjoy pondering these words every day:

Our family is a circle of LOVE ...

Of course, words like these are certainly beautiful, but it's our example that teaches our children best:

When we show them how to be positive, even when we're unsure.

When we show them how to recognize their blessings.

When we show them how to share joy with others.

In doing these things, we exercise our "family muscle" and the more we exercise the stronger we'll be!

TOGETHER we are unbreakable ...

:)

Well ... dear readers, I didn't mean to get so deep, so enough of my armchair philosophizing! (Lol, I get rambly when I'm tired!)

So, I'll call it a day ... it's well and truly dark now, and the menfolk are still out there somewhere. But they'll be home soon so it's time to rustle up supper ... Now, don't forget: the Solstice arrives just after midnight (est), so be sure to say "Happy Winter" in the morning! Also, if you have a chance, please leave a "cookie comment" at our poll - and many thanks to those who have already "voted!"

Have a good - warm, safe - night, my friends. I will see you here again sometime soon!

❤

My Tuesday Teatime

Today's teatime is a bit different from yesterday's. For one thing, the boys have a friend over - so there's a different kind of energy in the house, and naturally I feel the need to be somewhat "present."

For another, Bill's home from work today, and though he ran out to do an errand, I expect him home any minute ... so I'm paying too much attention to the cars passing by on the road.

In short, I'm feeling a bit scattered ... my head's here and there ... but I'm still determined to "take time for tea!"

So I've just placed this pretty mug down beside me ...

My "tea" today is a bit of a splurge: a gingerbread latte with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon sugar.

Delish.

And as I sip, I'm watching the sky darken and change, while the sun sinks behind milky clouds ...

At this time of year I'm grateful for every bit of that late afternoon light!

Turning my focus inside, I'm also very grateful for all the cards lining our windows ...

So many lovely faces, so many happy memories. Today I say a prayer for each family and friend ~ for health and joy, and peace and plenty. Not just at Christmas, but all the year through.

*❤*

Well dear readers, my teatime was brief, but refreshing. I only drank about half the latte - it was a bit too rich and spicy for me! Though I did relish that whipped cream - I didn't let a drop of that go to waste!

I thought of you all, and wondered about your day. I hope it was a good one, and I hope you were able to find a moment to sit and reboot ... with tea or without.

:)

Well now there's a great deal of buzzing all around me - apparently there's a supper that needs to be made and I guess that involves me - so I'll be off! 

(But I'll be back here again very soon.)

Good night!

Somehow not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

(John Greenleaf Whittier)

A last-minute (child-friendly) gift ...

Now I know I keep revisiting this tissue-candle craft, but honestly, I'm a little in love with it! It's such an easy project and it makes such a pretty gift ... something you could make with your kids (of all ages) in a jiffy. Keep the supplies on hand and in the space of an hour you'll have a wonderful last-minute gift ... for a teacher or coach, your pastor, a neighbor or anyone, really. Because who wouldn't love a sparkly, colorful candle handmade by a child just for them? 

Crackerjack made one yesterday morning for his Art teacher ...

(Two things to note in this picture (aside from the kid and the craft) ... 1. the cat (helping as usual) and, 2. the new yellow paint in my dining room. I love it! :D)

Supplies:

glass candle holder

tealight candle

colorful art tissue paper

dry-clear glue

paint brush

clear, white or iridescent glitter

(*fixative?)

(Note: I think tearing the tissue paper into bits and setting out the pile for the kids to work from, saves time and makes the whole project less fussy.)

Working in small sections, let the kids brush the glass with glue, and then stick on bits of colorful paper.

Once the glass is covered (encourage the kids to fill in any gaps), apply one final *very thin* coat of glue all over the outside. This will smooth down any edges and keep the paper from peeling over time. (Depending on the age - and patience - of your child, this might be best done by Mama.)

The glue also creates the perfect sticky surface for sparkles! Just shake glitter over the candleholder (or roll it in glitter set on a paper plate).

Now let it dry!

The glitter idea was my mum's, and it really lends just the right festive touch to the final project. My mum made so many crafts with us when we were kids - all year long, but especially at Christmas. (I think that's why Christmas is so linked with crafting in my mind!)

One thing I wondered, though, (and it's too early right now to call Mum up and ask) is whether or not we should spray the final project with a fixative of some sort. If only to keep the glitter from shaking off. Any thoughts, dear crafty readers? :)

While I cleaned up the mess, CJ set our projects in the sunny front window ...

And before heading to class, we packed CJ's craft in a pretty little bag. We also added a small "tin" of our favorite holiday cookies:

But as pretty as the candle looks sparkling in the sun, I think it looks especially lovely shining in the dark:

:)

So there you have it! A quick and easy last minute gift - or a New Year's craft? - or maybe just a nice winter's day project. Something to keep in mind for after the holidays when Winter really sets in - as does cabin fever!

(Now, I promise to lay off the tissue-candle craft for a little while, lol!)

And it was so lovely to "have tea" with you all yesterday. As soon as I finish this post, I'll be jumping into the comments to catch up ... Maybe you'll consider joining me again today?

4:00 my time ~ I'll be here with another cup and another kind of tea ... or maybe something stronger, lol. ;)

Whether you join me or not, I do hope you all have a wonderful day! Take care of yourselves (and your loved ones!) and I will do my best to do the same.

See you all again sometime soon!

*❤*

My 4:00 Teatime

I'm relishing a bit of this in my "Yuletide" china teacup (once my grandmother's).

It's so very cold out, and the sun will be setting momentarily ... but that's all right. This room feels quite cozy and bright.

Did you find time to "take tea" today? I'd love to hear about it!

*❤*

Coffee Break

My mum and I went Christmas shopping this morning, and we stopped in at the Barnes & Noble cafe to refuel. This is a piece of spinach-artichoke quiche and a creme brulee latte. Delicious on both counts!

:)

And I'm happy to report, I am just about done with my shopping! Aside from a few last minute orders, we're all set. Wrapping however, is a whole different story ... and as for baking, well, I haven't even started that yet ...

But we got all our cards in the mail!

So this week brings the solstice, as well as Christmas itself. We'll clean and bake ... and wait and wonder ... and craft a little when we can. The week will start off rather quiet - purposeful and preparatory - but by week's end there will be much merriment all around!

But for right now my focus is on the weekend at hand - and my hope is that you all have a good one. Before I go, though, may I share some "Friday Felines" with you all?

(Note the dangling lights and mangled tree skirt.)

The cats just LOVE Christmas.

Almost as much as they love each other.

:)

Good night, everyone ... I'll see you here again sometime soon!

A Simple St. Lucia Day

Happy Tuesday, everyone ~ and a Happy Feast Day, too!

Now, by St. Lucia tradition, the children of the household are encouraged to wake their parents with a special breakfast on this day, but it just doesn't work that way in our family! For one thing, we had our coffee roundabouts 5 a.m. - and for another, Bill left for work shortly thereafter! So instead, I wake my boys - my older boys that is, Earlybird is quite awake by now - by filling the house with the wonderful smell of cinnamon.

One of these years I will make homemade St. Lucia rolls, but canned rolls work all right, too. Stumbling into the kitchen, with sleepy faces and rumpled hair, my boys are quite pleased to find a plate of warm, spicy buns on the counter. They know right away just what day it is. :)

In years past, I've made star hats with the boys, but this year I'll have to content myself with the three little star children perched on our nature shelf:

That's not to say we won't spend part of our day crafting - we have teacher gifts to work on today! Also, Earlybird and I will make a quick run to the library to pick up this sweet book which just arrived on the hold shelf for us.

Tonight for supper, I'm making Swedish meatballs - to serve with simple noodles, bread and salad - and I'll mull a little fruit juice for a child-friendly "glogg." And after supper, while Bill has Bookworm at Confirmation class, the younger boys and I will work on assembling the Christmas cards. They're due to arrive today (at last!) and I have everything all ready to go - labels, stamps, favorite pens, etc.

So it's just another Tuesday, but with a little "faith & fun" woven in ~ another step forward on our family Advent journey. :)

Well, my friends, I wish you all a very nice Tuesday ~ take care and take joy ~ I will see you all again very soon!

❤

Little Lights for Dark Days

Earlybird and and I were discussing just how dark it is at this time of year - and what a blessing "light" is, especially on these very dark days (and nights). So I thought it would be fun to make some lovely little lights in the colors of the season - informal Advent candles to place on our nature shelf. There was glue involved, so EB was on board!

EB worked on a plastic cup and I worked on four glass votives (one for each week of the season).

Using paint brushes, we just spread mod podge on the sides of the cups/candleholders and then stuck bits of purple and pink tissue paper all along the outside.

We did, of course, have help.

We placed our final crafts in the windows to set:

While the candles dried, I cleaned up the glue/tissue paper mess and then EB and I made up a batch of brownies for tonight. (They'll be served with peppermint stick ice cream - for "Pink Sunday!"). By the time the brownies were in the oven, the sun had gone below the horizon and the house fell into shadow ...

It was time to light the candles!

Earlybird placed his Advent candle in the empty manger. Here it will shine as we wait for the Big Night.

(Note: EB's candle is battery-lit, while my glass votives hold real wax-and-flame tealights.)

I placed my Advent candles on the Nature Table: 

EB said they look just like the sunrise!

:)

This week we'll be logging the hours of sunlight and paying special attention to the sky at the start and the close of the day. (Goodness knows, we're up for both ends of the day!) These are the darkest days of the year ... so every little bit of light counts. But the week after next brings us the solstice, and with it the return of the light. Slowly and surely, the days will get longer ... and brighter.

Well, my friends ... I hope you all had a nice weekend. Did yours go by as quickly as mine did? (Which was pretty darn fast!)

Thanks so much for stopping by ... have a good night, and I will see you all sometime tomorrow ...

❤

Monday Moments

These are completely random, but kind of fun, photos from our day:

Here we have a gorgeous hawk visiting the yard. Just look at that beady, orange eye!

The little red squirrel showed up much later, when the coast was seemingly clear. (You can never really tell with hawks.) Bookworm took this picture.

We joke that Archie calls him "that darn 'redneck' squirrel." He takes particular offense to this critter - I think he senses how much I adore red squirrels - and it makes him bitter. 

He also takes offense to the ribbon I set up for Christmas cards.

It gets in his way.

Crackerjack was SO excited his new winter pajamas arrived today! (And yes, he gave me full permission to post this picture!)

Here are the older boys checking the Advent Tree drawer for today.

Today's scroll read: Tonight we'll watch A Charlie Brown Christmas AND Prep and Landing 2!

(These shows are on ABC tonight, and honestly, my kids still get excited about holiday specials. :))

And here's what's coming up tomorrow!

Tomorrow brings the Feast of St. Nicholas, and though I usually bake homemade spice cookies to celebrate, this year it's just not in the cards. I did buy some of these lovely (and all-natural) break-apart gingerbread cookies, as well as a bag of gingerbread (!) marshmallows. 

Tomorrow's Advent scroll will read: Happy St. Nicholas Day! Today we'll bake ginger-spice cookies and drink steamed "gingerbread" milk!

And here's the birdhouse all wrapped up in Christmas greenery. It looked so pretty as the light faded from the day ...

But oh my goodness - do you see the forsythia blooming behind the birdhouse???

(I forgot to cut branches to force yesterday for St. Barbara's Day - but I guess I didn't need to!)

So there are some snapshots of our day ... it was a nice day, weatherwise and otherwise. I hope yours was nice too.

Thanks so much for stopping by today ... I will see you all again sometime soon!

:)

Making Room for Christmas

Happy Monday, my friends! I hope you all had a nice weekend.

We were very busy here on the homefront, decking the halls ... peeling cats off the walls.

>> o.O <<

Yes, it was a bit crazy here for a while, but now that the finery's been hung and the storage bins stashed away, I'm trying to get back to that atmosphere of relative ...

(Cat antics notwithstanding.)

So the sitting room - aka learning room - has been transformed for the season! We got our tree up, and added holiday touches all around the house, inside and out. So it's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here ~ even if temperatures will reach 60 degrees today, lol.

I thought you might like a little look at our sitting learning Christmas room this morning ...

(Honestly, I didn't choose the paint and fabrics specifically for Christmas - but I knew they'd look great at this time of year!)

Here's the tree we brought home last week ...

Our ornaments, as you can see, are very homespun and child/cat-friendly. Someday we might graduate to fancy breakable bulbs but materials like wood, felt and foam work best for all involved now.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but here's where we'll display our Christmas greetings this year:

I lined the windows with this pretty holiday ribbon (held  by a few pushpins), and all along it, I attached tiny wooden clothespins. The pins will hold the cards very nicely!

 

And in the corner of the room I organized our nativity set.

 

Only the wooden donkey is safe to be left out - Oliver is quite obsessed with the soft nativity dolls!

*

*

He kept raiding the manger Saturday night! First it was the angel, with her fluffy hair and sparkly star - she was hard to resist - then it was the shepherds with their wooden twig staffs.

He was relentless.

So the angel moved to the top of the tree ...

And the rest of the dolls were tucked safely in a basket.

We also had to make a few adjustments to the tree skirt ...

Namely, snipping off the "holly berry" beads and "pinecone" seeds. The cats thought those seemed pretty tasty. I do love our tree skirt, but I love my cats (and their digestion tracks) even more!

And here we have the nature shelf, with our Advent Tree on display:

(The God's Eye hanging from the tree is a craft we made a few years ago. It's hung in honor of two upcoming feasts: St. Juan Diego (12/9) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (12/12). This week EB and I will explore Mexican Christmas customs.)

And above the doorway into the kitchen, we have a little reminder:

~**❤**~

It's good to remember how blessed we are! In the midst of all the "merry mayhem," it's good to find (make!) time to sit and remember our blessings ... to take comfort and joy in each one.

Sure, it can crazy out there, but we are in control of in here.

Hearts and Home.

:)

I wish you all a wonderful week! Thanks so much for stopping by, and please take care ...

I will see you all again very soon!

Simple, Seasonal Advent Fun

Happy December, my friends!

How I love December! Those frosty mornings that smell crisp and cold ... and twinkly lights that illuminate dark afternoons. The smells (and tastes!) of peppermint and cinnamon and clementines and clove. I love a day or two of "hustle and bustle" ... and many a night of "calm and bright." I love carols on the radio, cards in the mail, and beautiful wreaths hung on Main Street ...

And of course, I love snowflakes in the air ...

As I work on our "Advent Fun" list for 2011, I'm trying to keep these quiet kinds of pleasures in mind. It's the little things that matter most to me, especially at this time of year. So many ideas are tied into familiar tradition and the feel of the season, so I'm combing through my Advent archives to refresh my memory. This post as well as this one, are particularly chock full of "reusable" ideas. :)

So the boys opened the first drawer on the Advent Tree this morning, and today's scroll simply read: "Tonight we'll string the lights on the tree!"

Tomorrow's will read: "Today we'll put up our outdoor lights and decorations!"

And Saturday's will read: "Today we'll make up a big, fresh batch of Winter Cocoa!"

So as you can see, these may be very simple "tasks," but they're still fun to make note of. Some days there will be bigger treats in store, like ... "Tonight we're going to see Zoo Lights!" or, "Today you'll make a gingerbread house with Nana!" or, "Tonight we're going to a Yankee Swap!" 

Hopefully our Advent days will have a nice balance of "out-and-about joy" and "down-home comfort." Nothing that will overtax anyone - mom and dad especially! - but hopefully keep our focus on the simple beauty of the season. The "4 F's" if you will ~ Family, Faith, Food and Friends. 

:)

So here's to a happy December, and a lovely Advent as well! I hope your day made you smile ... and your night brings you comfort and peace.

~**❤**~

Oh! Before I sign off, a quick request: May I direct you to Ashley Lee's blog where she and her daughter are conducting a poll on the great dressing vs. stuffing debate? I've already cast my vote ... please stop by and cast yours!

I'll see you all again sometime soon ...

Our Advent Calendar is Ready to Go!

Finished just in the nick of time ... with a little a lot of help from my mum!

Remember all those months ago, when I came home from the craft store with this?

Well, I really must laugh at myself. There I was thinking I was so ahead of the game, when that tree sat on the top of my bookshelf until just after Thanksgiving! Honestly, I was thisclose to just leaving it plain! But my mother very kindly offered to take it home to paint in time for December 1st. We discussed colors and design, and off she went to the craft store ...

And just 24 hours later, she brought over the nearly finished product! (I say nearly finished only because it still needed numbers and a few embellishments which we did together while the boys ate lunch.)

And here's how it turned out!

I just love how it looks!

As you can see, we chose soft Christmas-y shades of red, gold, green and blue ... and my mum picked out lovely, silvery snowflakes and tiny bits of vintage clip art. For the countdown, we used simple black number stickers (I attached them with tweezers as they were fairly fragile).

And at the very top we placed a beautiful angel ...

Inside the drawers will be tiny treats and notes for the boys ...

And on the back of the tree is a special message:

Now, earlier today I started organizing the things for inside the drawers ...

These are strips of scrapbooking paper and some brightly wrapped chocolates. On the strips of paper I will write an activity or idea for each day (sometimes something special, often very simple) and then roll it up tightly and tuck it inside the drawer alongside a chocolate.

(Note: I write out the strips one night at a time, working off my big list of ideas. I find it hard to plan too far ahead when weather, sickness, and all kinds of other intrusions can upset our plans.)

Now, a word on the chocolates ...

I bought a couple of bags of mixed Lindt "Lindor" truffles, and they conveniently come wrapped in three different colors. So each boy gets a chocolate every third day. Bookworm's are blue (dark chocolate), Crackerjack's are red (milk chocolate) and Earlybird's are gold (white chocolate). Except that, EB can't eat these particular chocolates ...

So what we will do is this:

He will trade me his truffle for a special treat I have on hand just for him.

That's a win-win situation in my book! ;)

Now, I took the above pictures in the front room because it had such great light, but I've since moved the Advent tree to its permanent home, on top of the nature shelf:

The Tree is surrounded by favorite (nature-related) Christmas books, as well as ...

... our little Star Children ...

... and my Holiday Peace candle:

I'm just so very pleased.

So here we are on the last night of November, and our Advent Tree is ready to go! I can't wait for tomorrow ... December is such a wonderful month, because there are so many special pleasures in which to take comfort and joy. It's my hope our Tree will guide us through Advent, and help us prepare - inside and out - for the happiest day of the year.

~**❤**~

Have a lovely night, my friends, and thank you very much for stopping by. I will see you all again here very soon ...

:)

Off to the Tree Farm!

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in New England! It was very mild for this time of year (nearly 70 degrees) and the sky was filled with both wintry clouds and shards of weak sunlight. As Bill had the day off from work, it was a perfect time to go find our Christmas tree!

So right after lunchtime, we all hopped into the van and headed to the farm ...

There are lots of farms in our area, but this one is just so lovely ... In fact, our very first homeschooling field trip ever happened right here - an apple picking hay ride with our (then) new homeschool support group. :)

After getting the 'skinny' from the farm hands, we drove out to the field to find our tree ...

Apple trees in late autumn are so beautiful. So withered and wild looking ...

Now, here's the thing ... we just couldn't find a tree we liked! They were either too short or too spindly. And we wanted a big tree this year!

So we headed back down to the farm to take a look at the pre-cut trees.

EB can get a little funny about tree cutting - for some reason it unnerves him! So a few times he retreated to the van to watch something fun on his iPad. 

But the sights and sounds of the farm proved too much to resist ...

Cute little Santa workshop.

Cute little guinea fowl!

Cute - not so little - boys!

Feeding the beautiful fallow deer.

Aren't they gorgeous?

(They kind of remind me of Archie and Ollie in their coloring, and sweet faces.)

Though EB was certain this was one of Santa's team. ;)

Once we had a tree picked out (a 7 foot Fraser fir, just cut the day before), we headed inside the farm shop to pay ... and peruse.

At last it was time to take our tree home!

But first, Bill secured it to the van ...

... and then we were off!

Continuing our "farm field trip," we stopped at Whole Foods to pick up a few things.

I could spend gajillions of dollars at this store. It's so fun to shop here!

 

We were home by three, with the light fading fast and a cool wind picking up.

Bill and Bookworm brought the tree in ...

It fits great in the sitting room corner!

Needless to say, the cats were simply amazed.

"For me?"

Checking it out ...

Ollie's intrigued. Archie's sampling.

After a quick look around, Ollie - cool, calm and collected - returned to his open window, taking the high road, as usual.

Archie, meanwhile ... well, he took the low road.

He simply would not leave the tree alone! He ate some needles, climbed some branches and as you can see above, drunk some of the water. (No additives here - just plain old water.)

(We're hoping once the novelty's worn off, Archie will give it a rest. Lol.)

And now we have our tree, all set up in the sitting froom corner.

We need to let the branches drop, and then the lights can be strung and the branches can be adorned with all kinds of things.

(Mostly, unbreakable things.)

~**❤**~

Now, I will certainly be posting more on our tree as we go through the week. Hopefully we'll have it all decorated by the weekend!

So I hope you all are having a nice week ... I can hardly believe December 1st is just two days away! Are your Advent calendars ready to go?

Our is not quite ... so I guess I'd best get to work!

Have a great Tuesday, my friends ... I'll be back here again very soon.

:)

The Season of Purple (and Pink) ...

And so we wait ... and we prepare ... our hearts and our homes for Christmas.

Blessings to you on this first Sunday of Advent!

:)

Advent in August?

Behold, our 2011 Advent calendar project! :)

Not to get ahead of myself - this being August and all - but I absolutely love the season of Advent! And I love to come up with new projects that highlight the joyful anticipation of this time of year. In the past, I've made use of bulletin boards, grapevine wreaths and candle-lit windowsills ... but this year a lovely wooden tree will be the focus of our countdown celebration!

I found this neat craft at AC Moore this weekend. I happened to have a 50% coupon to use, and so I only spent $12.50, rather than the $24 full price! It looks very pretty plain, but I'd like to paint/glitter/decoupage the tree (with my mum's help no doubt) and then fill the tiny drawers with happy little things like treats and notes for the boys to find. I'm envisioning a frosty, sweet "woodland" motif ... and I think it will look quite nice in our "revamped" sitting room. :)

And now that the sitting room is coming together (the loveseat arrives this Thursday!) I'm eager to gather and coordinate our "school supplies" and learning spaces. Also, I'm ironing out a new fall schedule, trying to make room for home-centered learning and all our outside activities - not to mention general household upkeep as well!

Well, I hope you all had a nice weekend. Can you believe it's just TWO weeks till Labor Day?! No, I can't believe it either. It happens every year and yet somehow it still catches us by surprise - the summer just FLIES by! Our town starts school next week but our first day will be (and always is) the day after Labor Day. I've just put in our curriculum order and I'm working on an outline of themes, goals and activities for Earlybird.

Oh, and thank you for all your sweet kitty comments! They are doing really well - settling in, getting brave - venturing out into the rest of the house, and absolutely LOVING the bird windows! They really are so very curious ...

Have a happy Monday, my friends ... I'll be back again very soon!

:)

Dark Day ... Light Night

Here are some pictures I took yesterday afternoon as the shortest day of the year came to an end ...

Favorite books by candlelight ...

A bit of "sunlight" peeking through the branches ...

The window clings on our front door ...

The sun cake rising in the oven ...

The boys made these solstice lanterns years ago ...

The cottage pie ready to bake ...

... and the Happy Winter cake, ready to serve.

And finally, the Full "Cold" Moon shimmering in the western sky early this morning ...

Have a Wonderful Wednesday, my friends! :)

Our 'Happy Winter Tree,' Part III

First of all, a Very Happy Winter to you all!

As you can see from my pictures, we ended up having a good bit of snow overnight, which made everyone in this household very happy. Perhaps we'll have that White Christmas after all? :)

It's so beautiful here right now as I type up this post - quiet, gray, a few flurries lingering in the air. I'm sitting in the family room, nursing my coffee and enjoying the fire. It's truly a lovely Winter's day ...

 Very early this morning, we made our final Solstice Tree decorations. Bill popped popcorn and cracked open the coconut for us before leaving for work. The popcorn will be strung with cranberries for a bird-friendly garland (I'll work on it during quiet moments through the day). The coconut was halved, drained, and drilled ~ then filled with seed, dried fruits and nuts. We also made bread stars and pretty pineapple rings to add to the tree. 

Here are the tree ornaments ready to hang:

And now for a look around the Tree itself ...

It was too tricky to pierce and thread the bread stars, so we just placed them out along the railing. The coconut halves were looped around posts on either side of the tree. Bill used a handsaw to open the coconuts and a power drill to make the holes for the twine. The birds can nibble on the dried fruit, nuts or the coconut flesh itself if they so desire.

Dried pineapple rings were tied on with bits of festive ribbon. They remind me of little suns or maybe full moons. Either symbol works here, really ~ on this day the sun begins to grow stronger, and this is the night of December's full moon.

I really like how the gingebread folk came out. I think these treats would make nice gifts for people next year.

Above is a donut ring, one of the pinecones, and a coconut half in the background.

Below is a heart ...

Merry Christmas, dear little birdies and beasties! Our wish for you this year is that you keep safe and well fed. We look forward to watching you all Winter long. :)  

Later today I'll bake a treat for MY little beasties ~ a lemony "sun" cake ~ and for supper tonight we'll enjoy a hearty cottage pie, some toasty rolls and warm spiced wine (cranberry juice for the kids). A real Welcome Winter Feast! :)

Oh! And as for last night ~ did anyone catch the lunar eclipse? Funnily enough, I was actually awake at 4 a.m. (of my own doing, not Earlybird's) but the skies were too cloudy to see anything but falling snow! But here's a very cool photo blog of the moon as it was eclipsed last night all across the world ...

Well, I hope you all have a lovely Tuesday for yourselves ~ Happy Winter, Happy Advent, and Thanks for stopping by! See you all again very soon ... :)

Our 'Happy Winter Tree,' Part II

Well first of all, this has been quite a Monday! It started off pretty quiet, but before we knew it there were huge trucks arriving next door and loud engines starting up and oh my - trees were being felled! Like - really tall evergreen trees, literally right outside our family room windows! Then next thing we knew, the doorbell was ringing and packages were arriving and Nana stopped by and snow started falling - and this was all before noontime! 

If ever there was a week for "bustle," this is it ~ I love it!

It was also a busy morning in our kitchen as we set about making our Solstice Tree treats. Now, before I launch into the how-to's I'd like to mention that last week at our Nature Club meeting my friend Ketylina demonstrated a similar suet making project. I paid rapt attention and brought home the recipe as well as some ideas for making more projects at home.

 So here are the ingredients laid out by my stovetop. (And I apologize for the poor lighting in the next several photos - my kitchen is not very bright, unfortunately.)

In front is the package of beef suet* I bought at the market yesterday, and just behind, from left to right, we have: mixed bird seed, rolled oats, dried cranberries, currants, chunky peanut butter, hulled sunflower seeds, cornmeal, walnuts, hazelnuts and dried pineapple rings (the pineapple is actually for something else, lol).

(Notes: The recipe I followed came from this site, thanks again to Ketylina. *If you don't see suet at the meat counter, ask your butcher; he or she may be able to package some up for you. Alternatively, you can use lard in place of the suet.)

I first chopped the suet into small chunks and set them in a heavy saucepan over medium heat:

(Kind of gross, yes, but I tried not to think too much about it, lol.)

While the suet was melting (or rendering), I divided the "mix-ins" into one cup measurements (easier for small - and impatient - hands to deal with):

Here's how the suet looked once it was finished rendering (and lingering chunks were strained out with a sieve):

One pound of suet yielded about 2 cups liquid. Next, the boys had fun adding in all the mix-ins as I stirred the mixture with a strong wooden spoon ...

I poured the concoction into a glass measuring cup for easier handling ...

... and on the island I had some molds prepared:

Gingerbread men, donut rings ...

(Bookworm took a break from his work to gather pinecones for us from the yard.)

After filling the available molds we still had more left, so I pulled out some heart shaped ramekins and a Tupperware container to catch the remaining mixture:

(Note: I placed lengths of twine in the molds before pouring in the suet mix. Theoretically, this will make it possible to hang the shapes in the tree tomorrow.)

And here's our spread!

Into the freezer it all went ...

 

Tomorrow, on the first day of Winter, we'll take the frozen treats and decorate our Solstice Tree (along with a few other goodies we'll prepare in the morning). I think the birds and squirrels will be especially grateful considering they made themselves pretty scarce during all the loud tree work today!

One more picture before I go ...

Just in case the snow is gone by tomorrow, here's our Tree as it looked at 3 p.m. today. It sure looks and feels like Winter right about now!

And speaking of Winter, tomorrow brings not only December's Full "Cold" Moon - but a total lunar eclipse as well! (Details can be found here.) I may be up early enough to catch the tail end of it, but the trick will be remembering to look, lol!

Have a great night, everyone! See you sometime tomorrow. :)