The Fairy Princess

This is Daisy .... a very special girl... .... and obviously pretty patient with her Mom too.... she actually has a whole wardrobe. I am not sure how long she has been a super model... some day I must go back to the very beginning of her blog.

The other day she was a beautiful Fairy Princess and was granting wishes.. Oh, I do hope Dilly stops by to see her..... pink is absolutely Dilly's fav colour and fairy pwincesses... well... she thinks those are THE best!











But, I think I made a mistake...Daisy must have heard with her special cat hearing when I wished out loud for snow... silly me, I should have said money...cuz by now I'd have a bazillion dollars! almost enough for a bail out...hahahhah











Instead ...I have 5 inches of heavy, wet, snow...and those huge, fluffy, wet flakes are still falling. Visibility? ...nil.....
I am really getting a workout with my new shovel. All I can say is, .. it's a darn good thing I have been able to workout this year to be a bit more prepared for this.... but....... ohhhhh... me achin' back already.













The birds will have to do some searching to find the berries on the hedge.
Be careful what you wish for.....hmmmm.....why does that phrase seem so very familiar to me??....

Inchy .....

This week's theme at INCHYBYINCH was trees .... and I think getting my own Christmas tree decorated yesterday gave me some ideas... although this is more of a Charlie Brown tree ... lol...

The first pic I took was on dark material...with natural light and just had no ooomphf at all... but, then I put it under the dining room lamp and lo and behold.. the gold actually shows as gold on the stars. It is gold leaf pen. The gold gauze beneath it is so clear it looks more like burlap... but, perfect all the same for a background...

Why not give an inchy a try sometime? Click here if you would like to see some of the others for each week....

Pzzzzzzzttt.......

Here's to you.... politicians.... a gross royal raspberry ......

Cranberries were simmering....as was I.... while the politicians are trying to topple not only the government, but our country. Nobody seems to be looking at the global picture.... nope....just keep checking out their own little egos, which obviously match other small parts of their anatomy.
We did our civic duty in a hastily called election ... . .. well, a very small percentage of us did.... ...we voted .... along with a pathetic (or would that be apathetic) turnout of the electorate. Lowest voter turnout in history of this country. The government was voted back in... still not a majority because we have too many parties. Can you believe that in this country there is even one called the Marijuana Party? Yep... government is a joke. Now, only a few weeks after the election... the oppositions.s.s.s (there are several)... are trying to overthrow the elected Prime Minister. Sigh..... what became of democracy? Why can't they at least give him a chance. Who knows what is going to happen even next week in the world economic situation?... it is not prudent to jump too soon. In my book, they all need to wait a bit longer before just throwing money at all of it. It's pretty obvious that doesn't work...look around.......why should Canada jump in and do the same dance? A few months ago world leaders were even beginning to look to Canada for answers because our banking system was still functioning. Now... with government being thrown into chaos.... the banks are beginning to hunker down... mortgages are harder to come by (as they should be anyway) .... house sales have stopped (which they should as prices are overinflated in the housing market.. especially here... it is way past time for a correction) and worst of all.... foreign investors are holding back ... .. the oil and gas sector is just beginning to feel the ripple effect from that and have begun to shelve projects. People are whining about a few thousand jobs being lost lately ( they forgot to read 3/4 of the way down that page .. take note that 27,000 of those were also just hired recently to help with the election).. just wait til the real stuff hits the fan folks.... .... right after the holiday season. It has been predicted and written about by economists for years now, that 2009 is going to be a total economic disaster... I guess nobody was reading, listening or preparing...........

.... Merry Crisis.....











...on with some fun stuff. The heady aroma of cloves, fresh ground ginger and cranberries...

I found a recipe for Cranberry Pear Chutney in one of my vintage magazines .. (I have started to call them that ..instead of "old") ... because they are. I have one from 1979... its not quite old enough to be an antique...but it certainly is vintage. In those days I didn't have much time to cook or bake...but, I managed to do some anyway...and saved my precious magazines. I had no money to throw around and even a small purchase like that was pretty extravagant. They have put on a lot of miles in moves over the years...














I'm one of those old fashioned people ... went through some tough times at several stages of my life and learned the hard way to be ready for all financial eventualities. I even went so far as to "invent" a few jobs when there were none to be had back in the 80's .... sometimes had 2 or 3 "part-timers" on the go. One was working from my kitchen... doing for those who would pay and didn't have time of their own. Some were dentists I also worked for part time...














a bit of gold cord or ribbon; a topper of cute Christmas fabric and you have a perfect gift for these strange and uncertain economic times. Besides being a clever money saving ploy it is yummy, useful, and everybody on MY list is expecting something from the kitchen.... always. I hear disappointed mutterings if some don't see their brown paper wrapped boxes by the 21st of December.... two years ago my BIL actually asked my sister if she thought I had forgotten to bake "his" tarts.

weatherman says -23C with wind chill....

Brrrrr...today it is definitely cold even though the sun is peeking through the rice paper thin cloud cover. The wind makes your face feel stiff after only a few minutes out there. The tires on the van made it feel like I was driving on square blocks of wood for the first 100 feet....with very pointy edges. Still no snow.... but, -15C ..... the weatherman is saying perhaps...in a few days....

Of course, then I might be whining about it being horrible to drive in. My cargo van is not great in snow... but then...I don't usually have to go too far. Mostly I don't want to go anywhere either. I'm a total home body. Actually I think I might be a hermit. A happy hermit. However, I do perhaps wish I lived on an acreage ....so I didn't have to see anybody at all some days. Definitely wish I didn't have to see my neighbour's front yard... especially now. Surrounded by trees would be great. Susan's unruly but wonderful jungle springs to mind. How I wish.

Which movies were those....?? There were a couple at least...where the neighbourhood weirdos put out every moving, puffing, blinking whizzing thing they can find ..... arrrghh... the only good thing is...they are next door and not across the street. If I don't look out any side windows I don't have to see it. Poor Luisa, across the street. She says she tries not to look out her front windows from now til February. I'm tempted to slip over in the dead of night with a big knife and slash that stupid 20 ft. snowman...then he'll be flat on the lawn before February.. which is what usually happens about then. Maybe I'd even get lucky and it'd snow and cover him up completely, along with all of his reindeer, penguin and other assorted cheesy animal buddies... blinking boxes... etc..I think the witch from Hallowe'en is still stuck in the tree... sheeesh....
Instead of putting the stuff away, they just turn off the compressor that puffs mightily, trying to keep him upright as he sways precariously back and forth. At the supper hour and high power use times.. he sags. Their house must be underwired..and yep...the guy is an electrician. The snowman reminds me of some Michelin man monster and I keep hoping he will just wander off somewhere. After the season, they simply ignore all of it....til late spring, when somebody finally decides maybe it's way past time to tidy the lawn.... .... it's a wonder he still stands up again each year.....

oh, well..................... it's a perfect baking day. Biscotti is a good one to do early. It freezes perfectly. I won't chocolate drizzle all of them... just a few "testers" for you-know-who.... then double wrap and in the freezer they go for a few weeks til I am ready to send some to my sister.














Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

snow....sort of....

It is so sparse that there are almost spaces between the tips of flakes ..... .... but at least a few flakes fell. We have been so dry we absolutely need some moisture. It didn't rain much this spring or summer and here it is already December and no snow..... poor trees and shrubs... they suffer if it really gets cold and there is no snow cover...

So, the sky is white today..no sunlight streaming into the kitchen this morning.... but, I have lights and heat.... so I'm a lucky girl......










Had a great brekky of egg whites on home made bread, toasted.... and some very tasty sliced tomatoes sprinkled with freshly ground peppercorns. Mmmmmm...
Ever since the ban on Roma tomatoes earlier this year due to salmonella problems...I switched to some Canadian vine tomatoes...yum... they are so tasty I just continued to buy them instead. I thought they might be less flavourful when it came to the winter months... but...not at all. They are wonderful.

It is time to organize for the festive season in the "gifts from the kitchen" department. Anya wondered if I would be sharing recipes and yes ...absolutely.......and as a matter of fact, if you are looking for a certain recipe and can't find one... let me know...I may be able to help...
Most of my food related items, household tips and savings tricks, etc.. usually appear on my recipe and food blog. You can pop over directly from the link on the sidebar if you'd like to see what's cooking.... or get some helpful hints. Well, I always think they are helpful... lol..... but, then, I am me. And, if I am especially happy with a recipe or a picture I post over there, I sometimes brag about it a bit on this blog too....

Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits!!!

First of a new month.... a really important new month too. According to Ye Olde Englishe wives tale, the first words you utter, first thing in the morning on the first day.... should be "rabbits"....for good luck.













There. Done. Now to sit back and wait for it. Hahahahha...yeh...right....as if.....

My personal theory is that you make your own luck. It's kind of like life....if you want the most out of it.. get out there and grab it by the throat. Carpe Diem!!

And, today the day is:...... beautiful, sunny and there is an amazing brilliant blue sky... hmmm... okay, that's kind of lucky for this time of year in Canada.... and, furthermore, the weatherman says it will be the same all week... with a whopper of +9C on Saturday....wow.... sometimes a bit of luck just happens all on its own I guess.

Okay....I'm off to sit in the sunlight streaming through the kitchen window, sip a second coffee and do some stitching on my little Persimmon coloured bear. Later, I think I'll enjoy a browse through my collection of holiday magazines...











I love looking at the pictures; ooohing and aaaahhhing over the decorations and decorating ideas...



























drooling over recipes, and, in particular, recipes for gifts.... my fav thing to give is something for, (or from ♥♥), the kitchen. I learned that little heart trick from a new commenter... just hold down the Alt button....and press the number 3 on the number pad.. not on the keyboard. Cute.














and here is a tip from me... save your special magazines in plastic covers so they don't get all ratty. They cost enough so, I like to keep them nice. Easy to save in a large binder...or even just in a perfect stack in a spare drawer or cupboard. I have ... uhm,... lots........ I'm a sucker for a pretty cover.... so some are in an out of the way drawer (but, I know exactly where, so I can refer to them at other times of the year for certain marked recipes) ... ... and there are more in a small tote bin. I keep it near other Christmas-y stuff...like the big box with the tree in it...that way I know exactly where it is.... hey! come to think of it, my cards are right beside that in a smaller tote and I might as well bring that to the light of day as well...it's December and time to get some overseas cards in the mail.... Have a great first day of December everybody!

Embrace the Face..

Here I am again....last minute.... ... today is the last day for this month's face challenge at Embrace the Face, which is to include "lace" in our submission....

The topic should have been a beautiful one to inspire something special. But, motivation was lacking ..... the days went by while I was enjoying myself doing other things.... ...... and here it is already November 30.

I couldn't really make lace look like lace on paper.... so, I gave her a "lacy look" cowl on her sweater. Guess it'll do for now....










I was enamoured of pink hair from making some little tree angels....and decided to give her some too....














....and, just because I want to make sure I have some actual lace somewhere on this page.... here is a pin doll face I recently made for a swap on a doll making group.

Frugal Friday...

Lots of people are out there spending....big sales today....but, hopefully this year the spending has been carefully calculated. If you don't need it, or can't really afford it....don't buy it. That's not only me giving my opinion... but several economists monitoring the current situation (including Susan Orman, who seems to be a fav among many women even if her voice and manner drive me crazy) She does have some good advice. Spending next month's mortgage payment on something trivial is not a great idea.











Any day is a good day to throw out some simple money saving tips, no? You would be amazed at how much money you can save over the span of several years if you really want to do it... how about baking your own yummy muffins? ... or even the occasional loaf of bread? .... the difference is pennies to dollars over store bought even with the cost of baking factored in... (and what store bought baking tastes anything like home made?) Plus, you know exactly what is in them and whose clean (instead of grubby) hands touched the batter....ick.... just thinking of what goes on in kitchens makes my hair curl...believe me I know... been there....













short story.... When we first decided to buy a house, we tried to save enough for a down payment but, didn't seem to be having much luck growing our bank account. We just weren't budget making people ... as a matter of fact, I've never quite been able to figure out how people decide in advance how much they are going to spend on each category and then try to stick with that. Makes no sense to me at all....... at least until after a person finds out how much they DO spend on each...if you see my point. Anyway, Mr. BumbleVee decided to see where our $$$ were going and why we couldn't save. He handed me a piece of paper and said "let's keep track of every dime". We did. What a shocker!!! I mean, we kept track of every muffin, every cup of coffee, every time we got soup and a sandwich for lunches .... we each frittered away just over $200 per month. (and that was over 20 years ago) That did it. It meant that we should have been able to add $400 + to the bank account monthly. So.... we "changed our evil ways" the very next day. Within a year we easily had enough to start looking... then, we got really silly and each got a second job so that we could double up on mortgage payments and pay that down sooner because mortgage rates had jumped to 11% by that time and we refused to pay more than the house was worth in interest. We bought at the worst possible time it would seem.... but, years later it got even worse...and I did lose a lakeshore property whose rate climbed to 21%.... so...been there too... ..of course, nowadays they insist that can't happen again.... we'll see won't we? ... good luck to those with rates at 4% if that happens.....













I still find myself looking for bargains...(actually, that's a habit older than the down payment days) .... using coupons... getting rain checks... stocking up on sale items... planning meals around what's on sale at the grocery store... we eat really well and yet our grocery bill is probably less than half of what most people spend.











..freezing "plan overs" for lunches. It's easy and tidy.. less mess and more 'fridge room. Instead of putting what's left in the 'fridge for ...whenever.... put it in lunch sized containers. The guys at work started calling them "envy lunches".... they drool and ask what's for lunch when they smell the aroma in the microwave area. Four of them have begun packing up some plan-overs of their own... comparing lunches at noon...

okay...this is probably going a bit too far...but, it's hard to break some old habits..(when I left home I quite literally had nothing so had to make do.. .. there were days when there was no food in the cupboard) .. why not re-use plastic bags from everything? especially if the container they line is hidden under a sink? No point in tossing it in the garbage empty is there?...and no point spending money for plastic bags either. Keeping an eye on spending now means that later, when I see something I really want.... I buy it.














Purex was on sale half price yesterday...look at my pretty liner... ...oh, and... don't drive off to the store every other day for bargains either...even if gas has gone down ... don't waste it...there isn't enough to last many more years and they are miles from a viable hybrid that is affordable... and even then... your electricity will skyrocket because you will have to plug them in to recharge.... arrgghhhh.... what else can we save a few pennies on?

a few blogs lately have been querying ways in which people are cutting back or how to save anything in such unstable times.... my suggestion is to first find out how much you spend and what you spend it on... I bet you will be surprised ......

Christmas Cactus...

Last year my cactus was only a year old and even though it had several blooms the day I bought it.... when it reached the anniversary... only 3 blooms appeared. I did get some great shots of those flowers though and was thrilled that it had survived the year as I haven't really been able to keep one alive in the past. My sister has several and they are ancient, huge and have zillions of blooms...(not only at Christmas but it seems to me whenever I go there).... maybe not zillions...but you know what I mean...she has the greenest thumb I've ever seen. Or, it could be that she treats them a lot better.... actually adds new dirt and re-pots them sort of regularly...... my guys usually just live in the pot in which they appear....forever...... or, til they die. Tsk, shame on me....











About a month ago I noticed some tiny buds forming at most of the tips! That was pretty exciting for me and I wanted to do the right thing. It says in the info that they flower because of the reduced light and heat at this time of year...so I wanted to make sure "my guy" knew what time of year it was even though it lives in artificial light and heat. I moved it to the cooler, darker room... my craft room. The curtains are usually closed and lights off in there....











Now, it's back where I can admire the blooms...and if they fall off...well, c'est la vie. I am enjoying them for now...










AND.... this I can't believe. My Hoya got a new leaf! A real shocker because I definitely mistreated this poor little guy. It began as a cutting from an ancient Hoya my brother had.... and he had miles of it all around a window...that always bloomed and smelled so wonderful. For several years it was a bright, healthy green... but, to my disappointment, never did flower. One summer, early in the morning on a nice day, I decided to really dust and wash all my plants. Took them outside onto the sunny patio......you can see it already can't you? ..... sigh.....yes, I kind of "forgot" them for a few hours and the day turned into a blistering one. Ohhhh...my poor plants. I'm sure what happened to my Hoya was the equivalent of a severe sun burn. The leaves went all pale and dry looking...it never actually recovered. It never died...but never did grow another leaf. One spring, years after my cruelty, it sprouted a little stem thingy and all of a sudden a flower bunch appeared. Imagine my surprise. Every spring it flowers... and sometimes even twice a year I get that beautiful scent and a little flower bunch...always on the same stalk..which is now about 2 inches long. It just begins at the end of that stalk every time. I talk to it and tell it what an amazing little guy it is ... to sprout such a beautiful bloom after my cruel treatment. And, now... a leaf. Wow... I can't understand it or figure out why... but, I hope it continues .. Maybe I should break down and re-pot it...

This is really weird::: I looked back to check when my cactus bloomed last year and guess what? It was right now. Exactly to the day! I joked about it being the Thanksgiving Cactus for the American bloggers.... how amazing is that?

honestly........

My angels all look like tarts or little minxes... hahahhahah











.....guess I better look for a picture of an innocent.... a cute little baby or something....










and.... guess I can forget the eyelashes.... although I love for all my girls to have them.... Probably because mine are pretty much invisible I think.....

back to the old drawing board.........

little angels...

a bear and doll making buddy came to play on the weekend and we decided to make angel ornaments. We covered some pretty small buttons ( only 1 1/8 inch) with crepe/satin.... crepe side out. She has only done a couple of faces...but, look at this sweet little gal... what a great job.. and on such a tiny surface.

We wondered when we began if we would be able to get any detail at all...but...... were very happy with the results. They turned out great.

Watercolour pencils worked beautifully on the fabric...but.... the Pigma pens definitely needed a very light hand, with very little hesitation, as it seemed there could be a tendency to bleed if a person dawdled mid stroke.

Some little Ecru doilies... coaster size.... should make cute dresses. We may or may not add some trim to them.... A piece of thin gold wire makes a perfect halo....














Hair is Tibetan Lamb.... a bit tricky to work with once it is cut from the hide... but, this piece of hide was stiff and bulky...which would have made it unwieldy on a tiny button.... so, cut it off we did.. ...got some sticky fingers, but managed to get it glued on neatly. Now... some backing and a "neck/body" to hold on her dress... perhaps something for little arms.....I have a vision of mine holding a mini music sheet or a tiny candle..or... .....

Now, I want to make more little faces... using some pale shell pink covering this time... and as you can see, mine is not very "angelic"...must try for something more cherubic.....

Princess Tatiana...

Tatiana couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the lacy little bejeweled sleigh ....














... a special "something" that actually measures up to her rather royal standards.....

gifts under $10 .....

..... more or less how it went all the time in the "olden days" as the nephews laughingly call them. Cheeks!.... There were set limits on the amount of money spent... mostly because we didn't have much to spend. As a matter of fact, some years we didn't have any. Although we did eventually get clever and figure out a few money making projects. I think my penurious nature began when I was about....oh..... about 7 years old. ... honestly.











In my searching the other day, I found some under $10 goodies.... already 50% off in November... well... my bargain hunting side is completely satisfied. I now have this dainty Victorian ride for a little lady bear.....










gorgeous, pastel boxes of individually wrapped soaps... ..










a few new soft coloured sparkly tree ornaments and Sugar Plum scented candles....











oh,.................uhm.... well, we had to test the actual chocolates to determine if this was a decent little giftie...........

I got a Persimmon....

A gift from a guy who grew some in his garden this year.... he must have brought them inside a while ago...becuz.... it snowed last week...and again today a bit more...so, I doubt they are still attached to anything outside.... ..










I've never had one before.... hmmm...second confession in as many days...hahahha... oh, well.... perhaps in some respects I've lived a sheltered life... or, maybe I've just been too cheap to bother with them at the grocery store... I assure you... ya can't fool me with much.













Orange is a colour that I don't usually care for.....but this is not really orange...it's.... ...well, it's Persimmon isn't it?!

Poor little Gerber...looks like he feels a bit uncomfortable holding somebody's head......

Same pattern.... different fabric... stuffed softer too...and yet... looks a bit larger .... perfect. I like the heads of baby-type bears to be larger..... although with the tiny "test eyes" (and a test eye for the nose too) he is not quite as baby like... just wanted to post a pic of the persimmon and the fabric...... nothing is set yet.......

true confession...

okay...... hands up if you actually thought you were going to see a juicy tidbit.











....

nyehhh! .... I was merely going to 'fess up to never having made Matrimony Cake...or Matrimonial cake or sometimes just called date squares. I wonder why they were called that in the first place?

November seems to be a month when I like to do some major cleaning and sorting (recipes come under that heading)... .... same thing happens in the late spring. By the time it is any closer to the festive season...(or, to summer in the other instance) I want to be ready to do fun stuff; sometimes on short notice.

We are only 5 weeks away now...acckkk! Keep moving...................











especially if you are crafting....and keep the fur out of the kitchen........










It's the perfect time to begin testing new recipes for Christmas giving. Date squares won't be on the list of gifts...too crummy and too soft and sticky... yummy, yes, but...not in the gifting department. I just happened to find the recipe in the "to try" pile that I save for years ... and years more... til I decide, hmmmm.... I'll never make this...and finally give it the heave ho.













Yesterday I made some squares... exactly the taste I remember from years ago when our neighbour used to make them. The poor Ross's were up against it trying to make little ladies out of total tomboys. It must have been a good laugh watching grubby fingered kids, trying their level best to sip tea daintily from a real, flowery tea cup and to not get crumbs all over the crocheted tablecloth in their dining room. Oh, well, once we figured out we were really girls... and later, women... we did scrub up pretty good.....










...I even learned to bake and discovered that I love it.