It's Christmas Eve !!!

I'm hanging out, not doing much... a bit of shopping just to say I was there in the crazy last days... I got some 'jammies.... and we're enjoying some of the Christmas goodies I baked and some the neighbours brought for us... ...

The tree is lovely ...I don't do much decorating, but do love a beautiful, sparkly tree. We used to have a tiny, barely 5 foot tree ... but two years ago finally got a slightly taller one at nearly 7 feet. This year we had to put it in a different spot because we got a new chair and it usurped the old Christmas tree space... luckily it fits (barely) under the beam....

I've had fun taking pics of several ornaments and pretty lit areas ... ... almost wish I could leave it up all year..... but then I suppose it would get dusty...wouldn't look so sparkly... and, I wouldn't think it so lovely. I'll just have a look back on my blog instead .... at posts from this week.... and especially today.... here are a few for you.....











there are little birdies in my tree...














Santa is there too....














a little toy train....














miniature snowmen on tiny clothes pegs... I thought I might try making some myself.... a bit slow on the uptake....











more birdies....














lovely cards saved over the years...














a woodland sprite with his violin...














a baby hazelnut mouse in a walnut shell... these I do make...they are such fun..













This is a great Santa that I took a pic of at a large nursery that has a great Christmas display each year.... it's almost time..........

Gifts

That is the the theme for the Inchy this week.

Everybody has their own ideas when it comes to great gifts.... by modern big $$$$$$ standards this little group would be pretty dull I suppose...but, back in the day... would have been a great little selection for any of us kids.... . we would have been ecstatic to get any one of these...










Here are a few hints for the woman who likes to play in the kitchen...











I still covet a mixer of the same colour.... and may I just say, rolling pins of various weights and sizes are a necessity. And, spatulas.. ...I have 5 or 6 and wish I had more... some are starting to bend and one got too hot...last week, my tiny spatula got a split in it... oh, and don't forget cookie cutters...see them in there?











Of course, men are a different breed altogether aren't they? My sweetie said he wanted a new Mercedes under the tree. So, I stopped at the dealer on the way to Future Shop and got him one ...... hahahha...well... I got him one of the brochures. The real thing would never fit under there.

Early resolutions... .

After shoveling the sidewalks and driveway the other day I just didn't have it in me to do the patio as well....so, left it for a few days. Luckily it was still very cold so it didn't melt or get wet and heavy..... it is still light enough although it is drifted pretty deep in lots of areas.














Looked out the kitchen window...and thought I'd better bundle up and get a start on it...











Somewhere under this mountain of snow on the patio wall ... I just know there are Christmas lights..










.... aha! I was right..... there they are....
Sure do wish we had managed to finish off with the cutting for the laundry room cupboards and countertops. The table saw would be dismantled and moved and there would be room for these chairs .. instead they are buried in snow and taking the brunt of the weather.





















I worked at it for over an hour and shoveled myself to a standstill ... just didn't have one more push or "toss" in me... and still couldn't finish it. Near the house and on the steps it was drifted to about 15 inches deep. The sun will break through soon and I'll get out there to do the rest...it is -25C... factor in the windchill and it is -37C... not warm, but at least the patio wall is a bit of a wind break.











Got my sister's package boxed and wrapped and off I went to the Greyhound after supper. I don't really feel like my old cargo van is very safe on the slick roads so I don't drive it if I don't have to. It is pretty icy in most areas right now. Getting away from a stop is a bunch of spinning tires .. .. the back end is just too light unless I have a motorcycle in there... hmmm..maybe I should load one up ... ... even great winter tires doesn't help..so forget it. I waited for the Rav to get home instead.














Pulled up outside a dark building at 10 past 7:00 ... Damn! On top of the printed times on the door was a paper with separate times... closed at 5:00....but, then over to the left side of that was another paper.. ... indicating closed at 7:00 on some days of this week...and not on others... arrrgghhh!! So...either I was 2 hours late...or only 10 minutes..... either way I was a bit ticked. It is usually open til 9:00 and I know darn well I went there about 7:30 last year...because I recall being happy as a clam that the line up was only 4 people deep. I guess I try again today.... at busy Friday suppertime when the Rav shows up ....or... wait til tomorrow when the lines will surely be 20 people deep........














I don't make New Year's Resolutions..... but, this year...I think I will. Even if there is baking in the packages..... I am sending them out long before the last week. Things can be double or triple wrapped and frozen .... they only take a day or two to get there via the Speedy Doggy....and somebody can put them in their own freezer for a week or two.... yep...that's my resolution. I'm definitely gonna be ready for Christmas much earlier next year. So... be ready for me tooting the get ready horn in, say....... mid October... and by the first week of December 2009 ..... everything going out of town will be gone.

That would be perfect...then I could also finish up cards the first week... do the decorating the second week ... .... and perhaps some baking for local recipients and for us ..... yup, ..... next year.......

Christmas Stollen

More snow overnight yesterday and today... along with some wind and drifting...











A perfect day to stay home and bake... after shoveling for about 45 minutes... I tell myself it is my workout and I don't have to do any weights that day...











Yesterday I wanted to try a Christmas bread... so, after much "mulling" over, I decided on Bavarian Nut Stollen. The recipe seemed pretty intricate; I don't know how many times I read the darn thing and still I didn't feel any confidence about getting started. I am notoriously slow in the morning anyway... my eyes don't seem to focus well and my brain never really kicks in before noon most days. Yesterday must have been one of those days......it took forever to get moving in the right direction...




















Once I did, I was on a roll.... the kitchen got pretty crowded...I had every conceivable appliance on the go.... and all the countertops filled with "stuff".... but, I was baking Stollen, guys.... which meant there were actually two recipes on the go. One for the basic egg twist bread..and the other for the filling and glaze.














..... finally I got my head around what the recipe was trying to tell me....and lo and behold... Stollen!










The recipe made two loaves...and they were HUGE! Hanging off both sides of my cooling rack. About 8 inches across and a foot long each. Oh, and......... sooooo yummy!














At one point, the recipe actually warned me to tidy up and get ready to knead... hahahhaha ... whew... thank goodness somebody said it and I read it aloud... .. ... actually I had to refill the sink plenty of times during my busy baking spree because later in the afternoon I moved on to tarts ... ...my hands feel like velcro...... maybe today I'll just dust, tidy and decorate ...

singing hedgehog..

Finally getting the rest of my decorations unpacked and set out. This little lady hedgehog will be singing from the mantle ... ... almost bear-like in cuteness. I suppose that's why I couldn't resist her. She must be about 10+ years old or so.....









...another frosty image from yesterday's picture taking effort....











.....gift of a a knee blanket from years ago also... ... it's perfect for a cooler night .. staying all toasty by the fireplace, drinking cocoa, eating popcorn ... enjoying a movie..... then maybe a sip of port... .... mmmmm...I'm feeling all warm and cozy already.











At least it is a bit warmer today.... only -12C... and sunny again...

the weather outside is frightful...

.....except for the blue sky and sunshine ...... which I am always thankful for when it is -30C... but, still....... brrrrrrrrrrrr!!!











....it's a cold one. Frost on the inside of the big double panes of front room glass at these temperatures. It happens when the curtains are closed at night... even if I try to leave them up a bit to allow some warmer house air to blow on them... so, now they are up, it'll melt and I will be wiping windows and mopping up a bit of water later from the small ledge.














As soon as I'm finished reading some fun blogs and putting on my pics for today...I'm off to check my list....check it twice.... hum a Christmas song (only when I am alone do I do it...cuz I can't sing) ... and make a start on some tiny German Chocolat Tarts.














If I don't use a flash...I can't always hold the camera steady enough for perfect pics...but...some are kinda nice anyway... I like this one. Must dig out my tripod so I can use the ultra slow setting later.....









Ahhhhhh..... the lovely scent of Christmas oranges... they smell so wonderful the second you begin to peel one. I even hate to toss the peels....mmmmm ... they smell so good.














The furnace is working overtime just to keep the house up to temperature today... I sure hope it keeps on working.
Somebody else went back to work today too....I sure hope he is well enough to be doing that. He did promise to come home early ... and I bet he will head straight for the couch when he arrives. He is definitely not back to normal...but at least was eating a bit yesterday ..... so keeping fingers crossed....
Can we postpone Christmas for a week? I got a week behind, and now, all of a sudden, reading Susan's post...I realize cards and one parcel.... well, ...just aren't going to make it before the day.

Don't forget to check out recipes on the other blog ... Caramel Macchiatto Shortbread, Tourtiere and other goodies...

snow day....

It's turned into a different week than I had planned. Poor Greg is still down and out...but, perhaps today he is having a bit of relief, finally. I guess it is just a bad flu... but I sure don't like it. He was feverish, shaky, had pounding headaches and felt so cold he was bundled up in blankets while sitting right on the hearth ... ... he was 100.8 F on the thermometer... I'm glad it went no higher. He felt pretty terrible at that. Tylenol did seem to help ease the fever and the headache for a few hours at a time...but, he seemed to be living on them... luckily, he did manage to sleep... a lot ... in between the rough patches...

Finally, yesterday I felt it was safe to leave him alone for a bit and did get some cards mailed and stocked up on groceries because we are going to have a week of very cold weather. However, I confused myself a bit. I didn't do my usual and didn't keep a good record of when and to whom I mailed them ....arrrghhhh ! I may be doubling up on a few this year...oh, well..they will just think I'm losing my last three marbles...big deal. What's new?....

Missed the office Christmas party last night..but, honestly, it was a horrible night to drive... I wouldn't have wanted to be out there anyway. Our city streets were so bad we were making the Canadian national news casts.... plenty of accidents and several roads totally closed because they are on slight inclines.... still lots of people with inappropriate tires... not that good ones help most of the time, considering the situation last Sunday.














My back is pretty sore after plenty of shoveling today... living on a corner lot has its good and bad points. Shoveling snow is one of the "not so good" ... however, I remember somebody wishing she had a bit of snow to make it seem more like the festive season. So, it's my own fault. I also remember saying I might be whining if it got cold and snowed a bit too much..hahahha....why is it things don't usually happen as you imagine them when you make a random wish? When making a wish, one must be very explicit......or so it would seem.














About 8 or 9 inches of drifting snow in icy temperatures is not too much fun.

I was pretty cold too after the first hour.... so, when I came in I dug out my warm motorcycle pants. With those over my cords and jammies...I was toasty...ahhhh... that was better. Just my face was feeling the breeze then...but, I tried to keep my back to the wind. A neighbour from down the block came up to see if we should do the neighbour across the street as the lady had to fly out yesterday because her Dad died...... so we both shoveled for another hour..... ohhhhh.. man... that was almost more than I could handle. A hot bath... then I made us some chicken soup ... and Greg is back on the couch.... maybe later we will watch a movie and have some nice hot cocoa by the fireplace...... a lovely quiet evening at home. I mean that in all sincerity.














I always think how lucky we are to have a lovely warm roof over our heads, especially in horrible cold like this. It is -25C, with a wind of about 15 kph...which makes it feel like -35C. Your eyes water after about a minute out there... the tears freeze on your lashes... your face begins to hurt quite a bit after about 10 to 15 minutes. It's not much fun. The shelter buses will be picking up the homeless people again tonight and all week...trying to make sure they all spend the nights inside... they could very well freeze to death outside on nights like this. Some will be sitting in church pews because there are just not enough beds around for all of them....some will spend the night in jail... but, at least they will be inside..........warm and safe enough...

one of the statistics.....

The snow is beautiful... but driving on Sunday was hazardous. There were hundreds of accidents in the city, and sadly, Mr. BumbleVee was involved in one of them. As he was driving home from work, the car in front of him spun out of control. It turned a complete 360 and he T-boned it.... didn't have a chance to stop even if they were only crawling along. Everybody just kept sliding slowly forward til his stopped up against the curb. Luckily nobody was injured because everybody was going so slow. The most amazing thing was....the other driver was deaf.... but a lady who witnessed the whole thing parked her car and ran back to see if everybody was okay.....and she knew sign language. What on earth do you suppose would be the odds of that? She was also the only one with a cell phone. Thanks Moira.....

The other car was damaged enough it couldn't be driven away...and ours has a totally cracked and wrecked bumper and front quarter panel. Somebody was pretty ticked because now his perfect driving record has been blemished... I, on the other hand, was ecstatic...because nobody was injured or killed. To top it all off....today and yesterday he has been totally down and out with a horrible 'flu...not the beginnings of a great week.

The snow is still beautiful...but, the day has been steadily warming up..it's a balmy +6C tonight... it might be melting by morning... although later in the week we are gonna get it... yipes!... dropping to -18C.... oooooh.... get out the woollies, toques and fur lined bra.....














This was late Monday ... getting close to evening... pretty dim and I thought the colours were pretty...











By today, the sand and salt was kicking in and the roads were pretty good...some thick icy patches, but also some clear pavement beginning to show through. I went to mail some cards and drove to a nearby ritzy golf club... it's private, but the gates were open and I went in to take a few pics... nobody chased me out....




























Wouldn't this be a pretty hole to play? Little bridge over a creek and in the summer there is a big fountain spraying water high into the air just in front and to the right of it...












here you can just barely see the little bridge in the distance...