Solstice celebration and Christmas preparations

Decorating cookies.

 Candlemaking, beeswax tapers.

 Compiling various homemade gifts, soap, candles, lotion, lip balm and felted purses and other creations.

I have never worked much with wool until this winter. The easiest quickest things to make ended up being purses. I wet felted sheets during the day and after the kids went to bed, I would needle felt, sew the sides and add a clasp or button. 

We celebrated solstice with a bonfire, marshmallows,  a few fireworks, glow rings and night sledding.

Happy late Solstice, Merry Christmas and best wishes for your Holiday Season!

Merry Christmas

It is the night before Christmas. The children are sleeping. It was a long day of preparing for tomorrow; wrapping presents, picking up presents from the post office, killing and preparing ducks for tomorrow nights dinner and packing for a day away from the house. In the morning we'll do stockings and gifts here, eat rosemary bagels (from Lulus), and stock everyone up on hay before heading out to my folks for the day. We have started milking the does every other day, getting ready to dry them off for a couple months before kidding season. So I don't have to milk tomorrow. I also topped off all the waters today, so no water hauling.


We are having homemade apple fritters, eggs benedict with smoke salmon and sparkling side cars for brunch. For dinner we are having more friends over, in addition to our family of nine. Dinner is king crab appetizer, followed by roast duck, fried potatoes in duck fat, beets, a special salad, and various other unknowns. I believe desert is a ginger cheesecake, and lots of cookies and Christmas treats I'm sure. I am looking forward to the meals and good wine immensely. I am also excited for the kids - their excitement is contagious. A day with family and friends, all relaxing and enjoying eachother's company is always a blessing.

May you have a Merry Christmas, wherever you are.

Christmas Fun

Noah and Avery on Christmas Eve, opening gifts

 

Christmas morning at my folks

 

 The kids waiting to get into their second set of stockings for the day.

 

Christmas Dinner, which in addition to the previously mentioned menu, included shitake mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, butter and garlic (they were fabulous!, made by Adam). We also had roasted broccoli with lemon juice and parmesan.

 

Finishing off the wonderful meal we had home made caramels followed by these gingerbread trifles.

After I finished the last post, I realized that I had never really gotten to the heart of the issue or made the point I was trying to make, which in essence was this: what better way to celebrate life, family and the holidays than by going above and beyond to do something special whether it is cooking, decorating or other holiday traditions. My utmost purpose in sharing our special menus is to encourage you to take the extra step, try something new or be extra nice to yourself, not only during the holdidays but on ordinary days as well. For after all, what is living if we can't do it up, right?

Merry Christmas!

The flat surfaces in our house are piled high with wrapped presents.We don't have a tree this year but we are spending Christmas day at my folks. They have a lovely real tree that we helped decorate. Even if we had a tree I know that the kids would not resist the temptation to undecorate it and open any reachable presents at their leisure. The last couple nights we've stayed up late finishing last minute craft projects for gift giving. I just have to assemble items into bags now. I'll be sharing what I've made after Christmas, wouldn't want to spoil any surprise should my family be tuning in. 

We are lacking in Christmas lights and decorations, but our house feels so cluttered already I'm not sure where I'd put things. On the other hand we are still enjoying the sounds and smells of Christmas. The kids and I have been peeling and eating clementines and pomegranates daily. We've been listening to beautiful Christmas concerts on public radio along with my favorite Christmas CD; Mistle Toe and Wine by Medieval Babes. 

Today I am making a red wine reduction sauce with porcini mushrooms and a gingerbread buttermilk cake in advance for tomorrow.  The menu for tomorrow is as follows:

Breakfast or Brunch:

Homemade Apple Fritters with maple glaze

Eggs Benedict

coffee and juice

Dinner:

Sparkling Cranberry lime cocktail followed by wine

Iceberg wedges with homemade blue cheese dressing

Beef Filet Mignons wrapped in puff pastry with a red wine reduction sauce

Beet salad with fresh oregano, chevre and walnuts

Smashed Potatoes with watercress 

Dessert:

Gingerbread Trifles with carmelized apples, cranberries, ginger and whipped cream

coffee

Yum, yum! Wishing you and yours a peaceful and merry Christmas!