By Sun and Candlelight

Weekly Bits of Domestic Bliss

Of Note: 

Mum's birthday (26th), Cyber Monday (26th), A Charlie Brown Christmas on ABC (28th), Full Beaver Moon (28th), Feast of St. Andrew, Patron of Scotland (30th), B&N Educator Discount Day (1st), First Sunday in Advent (2nd)

Nature:

Quite chilly, in the 40s - mostly sunny. Flurries on Tuesday.

Beautiful bittersweet vines growing alongside the river out back.

Make plans (themes/practical considertations) for winter nature walks.

Watch for the full moon Wednesday night.

Housekeeping:

Put up Christmas decorations.

Do outdoor lights/decorations.

Begin online Christmas orders.

Organize boys' holiday outfits, haircuts.

Dinner Menus:

M - pesto pasta, crescent rolls (boys' fave), leftover meatballs

T - meatball/tortellini soup, garlic rolls

W - pulled chicken salad wraps, leftover soup

T - taco potatoes (ground turkey), fiesta salads

F - homemade pizza night, raw veggies/dip

S - *takeout*

S - pork roast, potatoes & squash, apple-cheddar muffins

Desserts: Scottish shortbread, oatmeal-fruit cookies, peppermint-brownie sundaes (Sunday Sundaes)

Dear Baby ...

(14 Weeks)

I felt you move for the first time on Thanksgiving morning! Oh my, what a wonderful feeling!

Feeling much less nausea these days! Just a little when I take my prenatal vitamin and sometimes around suppertime.

Keeping to home as much as possible - a quiet schedule helps my energy level!

Earlybird has noticed Mama's belly, but when he asked "What's wrong with your belly?" and I answered, "Well, it's getting kind of big, isn't it?" he simply shrugged and said, "Yeah, wow!" Nothing else, lol.

Learning Themes:

Waiting for Winter

"Animals of Christmas"

Work on using nice language - how we speak matters.

Christmas "food shopping" lists with EB.

Excited About ~ Working On:

A simple, peaceful Advent ~ reducing noise and clutter, both visual and auditory.

Bill set up "Classical Christmas" music for me on my phone - I park it on the kitchen counter with little speakers ... soothing background music for this time of year.

Miscellaneous:

Bring home the tree this weekend!

Address/stamp Christmas cards.

Watch Take Peace: A Corgi Cottage Christmas (on loan from library).

Brainstorm "teacher gifts" with the boys.

 ***

Happy Tuesday, my friends! I hope your week is off to a great start! I apologize I am so behind on comment replies ... I will be catching up over the next few days. (I always seem to think I have much more time (and energy) than I actually do!) I truly appreciate the time and thought you put into your messages. :)

Well, have yourselves a good day ... I will see you here again very soon!

❤

The Full Harvest Moon

I finally got a picture!

I took this shot from the front doorstep, very early this morning (with Earlybird by my side), as the sky pinked in the east and the clouds raced overhead ...

A lovely way to start my day!

❤

Have a good one, my friends!

Friday Photos: Farm, Food & a Full Moon

Happy Friday, my friends!

Here in the States it's Labor Day weekend, also - and perhaps less fondly - known as the last summer weekend. (I'm actually thrilled - this is my favorite weekend all year!) Bill has some time off from work, so I was able to run out on my own this morning to get some pre-weekend errands done.

My first stop: our local farm, where this sunflower field caught my eye ...

Isn't it lovely?

But my farm business today was all about these beauties ...

Fifteen pounds of green tomatoes, just the right amount for picalilli!

(I love to make picalilli at this time of year - my mum and grandma and I used to do this together and it holds many fond memories for me. And we all love picalilli served with our favorite fall suppers ... pot roast, meatloaf, sour cream chicken, etc.)

I'll blog about the process on Monday - I'm still gathering all my supplies. :)

Next up: a quick stop at the bookstore, where I treated myself to a quick bite to eat ...

A slice of quiche (delicious but very rich) and my first cup of pumpkin spice latte - they just started serving it yesterday! (And it was as yummy as I remembered.)

Now, this picture I took last evening ...

I'm awful at night photos, but I had to share this ... it's the waxing Blue Moon which will truly be full tonight. (It's not actually blue in color, but rather, it's rare because this makes two full moons in one month.) Be sure to watch for it rising this evening!

And August sure is going out in style ... the weather is quite hot today, 90 some-odd degrees, windy and dry. Tomorrow brings the first of September and, according to the forecast, some wonderful weather ... sunny and highs in the 70s! We are hosting Crackerjack's (rescheduled) birthday party tomorrow so that sounds just about perfect. :)

Well, my friends ... I'm off to get more things done on my list, but I wanted to stop in and share these thoughts and photos and wish you all a very happy weekend. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones ...

I'll see you here again very soon!

❤

Midsummer Beauty

Yesterday was Midsummer's Day - also known as St. John's Day (the Birth of St. John). The weather was lovely and we spent a good bit of time outside ... I roamed the yard taking pictures of this and that. Above we have a tea rose blooming at sunset ... my pink and orange coneflower plants  ... an abandoned bird's nest ... the tiny bunny who calls our yard home ... and the Midsummer Eve moon - a milky crescent perched high in the western sky.

Today brings a gray and mild morning ... it feels nice, actually - the soft breeze coming through my window as I type up this post. Heavy rain will be arriving in a few hours - thunder and all - so we'll plan our day accordingly. How I enjoy having the freedom to do that. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by, my friends - I hope you have a wonderful day! Take care of yourselves and your loved ones ... I will see you again sometime soon!

❤

Did you see that moon?!

We did, albeit briefly ... the skies cleared just long enough last night for us to get a good goggle. And wow, did we goggle - it was so huge and bright! And the clouds were just whipping over and past it ... it was like something out of a movie, I tell you. 

(And this picture does it no justice at all. But I had to at least get a shot to remember it by.)

And there will be a partial eclipse of June's full "Strawberry" moon very early this morning, so check it out if you can. We're in for a few days of driving rain so I think we got our one and only shot to see this spectacular full moon last night.

***

Well, my friends, Happy Monday! Hope your week gets off to a great start!

See you here again very soon ...

❤

The Full Flower Moon ~ It's Tonight!

Good evening, my friends, and Happy Weekend!

*

I am popping on very quickly to tell you all (in case you didn't know), that tonight's full moon, "The Full Flower Moon" is the largest we'll see all year. (Something to do with how close the moon is to the earth, I think? But I'm not 100% sure, I'll have to get back to you ...)

If you have a moment (and clear skies) take a peek - I bet it will be quite a sight!

See you all again very soon!

❤

Field Trip to the Farm!

Oh, what fun we had today!

This afternoon we attended a field trip to a local Audubon center. We hadn't been on a field trip in a while, so this was a nice treat for us all. What made it all the nicer ... Bill took the day off to join us, and drive us out to the farm in the RV!

And it was such a glorious day ... nearly 60 degrees and so bright and sunny. As usual, I took TONS of pictures, so I thought you all might like to see them. :)

Here's the entrance to the farm ...

And my guys heading down the path ...

First we hit "Bird Hill."

Where we saw ...

Crows, ravens, pheasants, hawks (as below) ...

... barred owls ...

(We called them, Sarah and Percy and Bill ... anyone know what book that's from? It's a favorite of ours.)

And finally, a great horned owl!

(I know it's hard to see through the grated fencing, but if you click on the photos they will open up and the birds should be easier to see.)

Next, we headed over to the sheep & goat barn ...

... where we met two little lambs who were born just today!

So precious ...

Inside this barn (all around the farm, actually), there was a lot of interesting info posted, like this lambing chart:

And this "Sheep to Sweater" display board:

Though the air was cool, the sun was quite warm. We were very glad we wore boots, because there was lots of mud ...

... and melting ...

And much dripping everywhere.

This is what 'early spring' looks like in New England!

Here are a few more farm animals we met ...

The rooster.

(Noisy fellow, he.)

The sow.

(Just two years old, and already a good mama.)

Some goats.

(These are the sun-loving youngins.)

Next we encountered a chicken on the path.

Quite free range, and almost friendly.

And here we have the Barn Cat.

Clearly, striking a pose.

And just look at these guys!

A flock of wild turkeys taking advantage of well-stocked feeders.

Earlybird was most fascinated by the farm equipment - the tractors, and harvesters and such - but we could just not get him to slow down for a photo! But I'm still going to post this one because it shows how tall Bookworm has gotten recently!

(If you remember, I'm 5'5." He's over 5'7" now.)

Next ... while Bill, Bookworm and Earlybird stayed with the larger group, Crackerjack and I headed up to the Audubon Shop with our friends ...

Such a delightful shop - a nature lover's absolute haven!

Well, I was weak of course, and bought a few things - with my member discount naturally! I bought a solar system place mat for EB, two new field guides (one for butterflies, another for dragonflies) and new nature journals for myself and the boys.

After saying goodbye to our friends, CJ and I headed back out. For a moment, we contemplated venturing down this intriguing path ...

But in the end, we stayed put and explored this neat solar-powered structure:

Very cool! 

More solar goodness:

And one more picture of me and my boys ...

It really was such a nice day. :)

And here's my "chauffeur," ready to escort his brood home ...

 

Once safely home, we set about our evening routines, and then a call came in from my friend, Kim. Kim (of coupon binder fame), was the one to organize this field trip, and she called me from the road to alert me to the rising moon!

I was so glad she did because I was not even looking outside, so caught up was I in all the "catching up." And what a nice way to end a very nice day ... standing outside in the cool (but not cold) dusk, watching the Full Sap Moon emerge in all its March glory ...

I feel so recharged after this day spent outdoors, in the "country," getting fresh air and reconnecting with friends we have not seen in a while. It makes me want to plan all kinds of fun spring outings ... my "Nature Club" wheels are now turning!

*

Well, I hope you all had a nice Wednesday ... wherever it took you. Thanks so much for stopping by ... have a nice night and I will see you all again soon!

Tuesday Tea ~ A Touch of Maple

Good Tuesday evening, my friends ...

... I hope you've all had a nice day!

 I took my tea on the early side today since, as I mentioned, I had a hair appointment at my usual "teatime." So right after getting the boys their lunch, I set about baking some muffins and then turned the kettle on ...

I decided to go with a "maple theme" today because the Full Sap Moon is on the rise this week. This month's moon is so named of course, because March brings maple sugaring season - and this is kind of a big deal here in New England. :) We like to visit sugarshacks and watch "sugaring" demonstrations at this time of year - there are plenty to choose from in the area. And of course it's time to lay in our syrup stores for the year - goodness knows we go through a lot!

March's moon, it's interesting to note, has also been called the Worm Moon, the Crow Moon as well as the Lenten Moon ... And I actually spied the waxing moon on my way home from the hairdresser's just now - hanging so huge and pale in the evening sky. Beautiful!

But back to my tea ...

If you notice, beside my cup of lightly spiced tea, there is perched a small maple sugar candy. My parents brought these back for us from Vermont, and I've kept them in the fridge for a once-in-a-while treat. And as for this week's "cup," this is actually a teacup and saucer from my wedding set! Bill and I chose "English Countryside" by Mikasa for our everyday china all those years ago. We liked the versatility of the creamy white color and the look of the raised bramble pattern. And though the bridal registry associate was simply appalled we decided to forego formal china, we assured her that between mothers and grandmothers we would not want for a more formal set someday. :)

These are the muffins I baked - Refrigerator Bran Muffins:

Just for fun (and flavor - because let's face it, bran muffins can be dull) I made up some maple butter one might spread inside ...

 ... or on top, if one so desires.

(The candy was a little bit over the top - but it made for a pretty shot.)

*

Well, it was a gorgeous day today ... bright and cold, with lots of melting going on. With temps in the high 50s tomorrow (and the 60s on Thursday!) the leftover snow really doesn't stand a chance.

Drip, drip, drip ... that's all I hear when things get quiet enough to listen.

:)

Now, several of you have expressed concern - and sympathy - over my ruined planner. First of all, thank you for your kindness - and yes, I am upset that it got ruined. But I have to tell you, Crackerjack felt *so* badly about it, and he just kept saying he was sorry over and over. Of my three boys he is my "feeler" (and overthinker like his mama), and I knew HE knew how important my planner is to me. So I tried not to make a big deal out of it, because I knew he'd really take it to heart ...

So I'm choosing to look at this as an opportunity to be creative again and do a little (or maybe a lot of) calendar crafting. I'll be posting about this very soon ... as soon as I can get my hands on some new materials!

***

My friends, I must be off now as it's getting late, Bill's almost home and I have a supper to start. Nothing at all fancy tonight - just turkey-and-cheese panini, steak fries and tossed salads. (But oh, I must mention - that schnitzel was fabulous last night!)

So have a good night, everyone - take care and be well. I will see you here again very soon!

❤

Tuesday Tea ... and Crafts with EB!

Good evening, my friends - and Happy Tuesday!

I meant to get this post up much earlier - and I did sit down at 4 (albeit briefly) - but then one thing led to another and I just had no time to work online. So here I am now, to share tea with you all ... as well as a few notes and photos from our day. :)

So my beverage of choice this week was Earl Grey, and as a snack I peeled myself a blood orange. Are you at all familiar with blood oranges? To be honest, I'm not all that fond of them - they are striking to look at, but I find them rather bland as citrus fruits go. And yet I get all kinds of excited when I see them at the market. They appear for a short time in the dead of winter (otherwise known as February) and for me, it's like a little ray of hope that we're moving closer to spring. So I always buy a few to bring home to my family. The boys' reactions are worth the money spent anyways - "Blood oranges? Why are they called that?!" Lol. (Note ~ I bet the segments would be good in a winter compote blended with other citrus fruits and spices.)

And my mug today is part of a set of mugs and bowls made by my cousin, Marty. She's actually my mum's cousin so I'm not sure exactly what that makes us, lol! But she's a very lovely lady, and one summer we bumped into her at a craft fair; we were on the spectator side, she was a vendor. She had some beautiful pottery for sale, and I snatched up these blue and white speckled mugs. They're all shaped a bit differently, but they are all well sized. Excellent for tea or coffee. :)

Now, the big news for tonight is the rising of the Full Snow Moon - and actually, it's already done just that! Take a look in your sky right this minute! Isn't it gorgeous? 

And since Crackerjack had to miss my Mum's Superbowl cupcakes Sunday night, I decided to splurge and make the boys a special cake for tonight's dessert. 

EB and I call it "The Full Snow Moon Cake."

He was ALL excited to make this with me, and honestly, it was more about mixing the colored frosting than actually eating the final results!

I had already frosted the cake with plain buttercream frosting but we set some frosting aside for the colors. (And by the way, as most of my readers know, EB is on a special diet - we avoid most artificial things like colors, flavors and preservatives. So for tinting frosting I use India Tree Nature's Colors. He seems to tolerate them well.)

Crackerjack - who is still on the mend - came over to take a peek at the proceedings. (And I must point out - in consideration of my morning post - that my sink, as you can plainly see, was a REAL hot spot today! *blush*)

Here's EB sprinkling our February full moon with snowflakes ...

Now, this was not so much a craft, as it was an impromptu science/nature study lesson. Bookworm and Earlybird "investigated" the state of the water in our yard. :)

And while they did their outside stuff, CJ rested and I started in on some candlemaking. (I think it's becoming an addiction, this candlemaking, lol.)

Now, EB and I had discussed making a "night sky" candle, one that we could light when the moon is full or if something really neat is happening in the sky. (Such as meteor showers or a planet appearance.) 

Unsurprisingly, I got a little carried away, but here's what we did ...

This side is the sunset - see the red sun at the very bottom?

(And see the extra help I had while doing this project?)

While EB painted his own project, I worked on the glass - but we chose the tissue paper colors together. (Trying to decide in what order the colors appear as the sun sets.)

He then decided the candleholder needed stars, so I let him have at it.

And here's the finished result!

See how the stars float up from the sun and into the sky? That was EB's idea. :)

And here's the moon side:

EB was quite proud of our creation!

Now, since I was in a real crafty mood, I decided to continue on and I whipped up this nifty little candle:

I am working on setting up a liturgical corner for the learning/sitting room and I thought it would be nice to have a candle just for this spot. So I used another battery-lit candle (like the one I used on Candlemas) and just glued on bits of tissue paper in liturgical colors - white, green, purple, red, pink and even blue for Marian feasts. I also added a small wooden cross (purchased in the wood section of my craft store) and embellished it a little with a golden doiley.

And ... voila!

:)

Well, friends, that's all I have for now ... and I've certainly kept you here long enough! So I'm going to say goodbye ... But I do hope you all had a nice day ... and please let me know if you had a chance to "take tea" today.

Next week will be a "Valentine's Tea" theme, so keep that in mind! I'd love to have you all join me on that special day ...

In the meantime, please have a good night ~ Be well and God bless!

I'll see you again sometime soon ...

❤

Wordless Wednesday {Everyday Moments}

{at home}

{at work}

{and play}

{with the cats}

{at the fair}

{:D}

Don't Miss the March "Super Moon!"

Good Friday morning, my friends ... :)

Just jumping on quickly to pass along this neat link that explains why Saturday night's full moon will be something truly spectacular - a moon of "rare size and beauty." Look for it rising in the east at sunset - fingers crossed for clear skies! - it will surely be a sight to behold!

Did you all see that MOON?

Last evening, roundabouts suppertime, both Bill and my friend Kim called me from the road (Bill on his way home from work, Kim running errands) to alert me to the rising full moon. And what a flurry of activity it set off in this house!

At first we couldn't see the moon at all (it rises behind our woods), so every minute or two we'd drop what we were doing - this was very much a group effort - to check the sky. Picking up on the mounting energy, Earlybird thought he'd be funny and started "crying moon" every minute or so just to get us all running. The little scamp, lol. Eventually I threatened him with no dessert if he didn't cut it out. ;)

But finally we spied that unmistakable light behind the trees ...

I seem to always get "through-the-trees" moon shots, but by the time it hit the open sky the clouds had moved in for the night. It certainly was gorgeous though!

Tonight's another chance to see February's Snow Moon, as the moon becomes officially "full" today. No snow in the near future however - our forecast is for clear skies and SIXTY degrees!

(Yes, the windows will be open in this house today!)

Hope you all have a great day. I hope to be back later with something for Poetry Friday. 

:)

The Moon is Smiling

Thanks to a comment from Jennifer, we took a break from the Superbowl to sneak a peek at the moon last night:

Dawn - What do you call tonight's moon? It's a crescent, but it's hanging at the bottom, like a horseshoe. My daughter says Native Americans have a special name for it but google isn't helping. Thanks! Jennifer

I had to look it up, too, Jennifer! It rang a bell, but I couldn't quite remember the significance of this shape. This site explains the "smiling crescent" quite well.

Hope this helps a bit, and dear readers, if you have any additional information on this kind of moon - please drop me a note below!

Have a great Monday, everyone ... :)

The Wolf in the Window

(File this one under, "You just never know what you're going to find when you stop by Dawn's blog," lol.)

Last night, the bright light of the nearly-full moon caught my eye as I passed under the family room skylights. I had to look twice, because the melting snow and ice resting on the windowpane had formed what looked like - to me anyways - a wolf howling at that beautiful moon!

Bill and the boys agreed with me ... and we all thought it was rather fitting considering this month's moon is the "Full Wolf Moon."

Here it is zoomed in a bit ...

Can you also see the "wolf in the window?"

After marveling for a moment, naturally I grabbed my camera. I heard Bookworm say under his breath, "This one's going on the blog."

Lol, they know me so well.

I hope your Tuesday will be a good one ... we're expecting a very messy storm here today. Snow, ice and rain. YUCK. I'll be keeping all commuters (especially my Bill) in my prayers today - without a doubt the roads will be quite treacherous all day.

Thanks for stopping by, my friends! I'll be back again very soon. :) 

Monday Menu & Moon Talk

Bill's off from work today for the MLK holiday, so our homeschool has the day off too. :) It's going to be bitterly cold here (21 for a high!) so we probably won't spend much time outside. I do plan to run to the grocery store for a few items (and maybe The Paper Store too - I have a gift certificate from my birthday to use), but before I head out I'll be starting a beef & vegetable soup in the crockpot. It will cook all day and we'll have it tonight with crusty bread (made in the breadmaker) and a simple tossed salad. For dessert (yes, we do always have dessert, lol!) I'll make use of the leftover raspberry sauce ~ serving it over cups of peach frozen yogurt. The raspberry-peach combination might make me think of the summer ... so, so far away. 

In nature news, aside from the bitter cold and a messy storm coming on Tuesday, we have the Full Moon rising midweek ...

Can you guess why there's a wolf puppet on our nature shelf?

The weather chills,

 the night is long,

wolf lifts his head

in lonely song.

His notes float high,

his notes drift low,

mournful in the 

moonlight glow.

~ from When the Moon is Full: A Lunar Year by Penny Pollock

****

I hope you all have a great Monday ~ see you 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. :)

Programming Note (& a Friday Photo)

The Full Harvest Moon rising last night, roundabouts 7 p.m.

I took this from inside my car as I waited to get on the highway, lol. (I always have my camera within reach!) I was on my way to meet friends at Barnes & Noble for a little "coffee talk" - running a bit late, and the traffic was fierce - but oh what a lovely evening. Warm, breezy and bathed in moonlight. 

(By the way, my new beverage of choice at Starbucks is a tall steamed milk with vanilla. It's absolutely delicious, and caffeine-free!)

So, I have but a scant few minutes to post this morning, but wanted to check in and let you all know I'm working on a post about the index cards I mentioned the other day. There was lots of interest in how those little cards work. :)

In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful Friday! We're expecting highs in the 80s here in New England ~ a little touch of Summer in late September!