Seasons Greetings...

It has been a while since I posted anything substantial here, which is completely normal for me. This time of year I tend to be more focused on the holidays, making gifts and spending time with family. My writing usually takes a back burner for a couple of months, until the weather warms up and I start thinking about my garden again. Year's end is always a time of deep reflection and meditation, a chance to review my goals and values and renew my resolve. I need this down-time if I want to do amazing things in the coming year! I'd like to post some pictures of the gifts I have been making, but so many of the recipients read this humble little blog that I'd be giving too much away! I will say that my fingers have been very busy, and the kids have been really enjoying making gifts and cards for everyone!

The birds are at the feeder in droves now, and it has been a great learning experience for both my children and myself. When you have 6 or 7 different types of bird at the feeder at the same time, it makes it a lot easier to point out their differences so that the kids can learn which is which! So far, we've had Chickadees, Red Poles, Nuthatches, Pine Grosbeaks, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Magpies, Gray Jays, Ravens, Eagles, Ospreys, Owls, and even a Northern Goshawk!

I'm also happy to report that the snow finally arrived... hopefully before too much damage was done to the roots of my perennials. When you have longs stretches of below-zero weather, the snow actually insulates, keeping the frost from heaving the plants up out of the ground! I did use leaf-mulch on the plants that I thought would need a little extra help, so everything should be doing fine, but you never know what Mother Nature will decide to do when nobody is paying attention!

Now, I'm headed back to my Peppermint Tea, and the chicken stock I've been boiling to turn into tonight's Chicken and Dumplings! I sincerely hope that you all have a wonderful holiday, no matter if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Festivus, or any other version of it! Peace be with you all!

Reader Ideas...

We are coming up fast on the holiday season. Its a time of such heavy commercialism and debt mentality that I always get really frustrated with society as a whole. I'll be writing a post or two on bucking the consumer holiday culture, and I want to know...

Do you try to avoid the commercialism of the holidays? Do you have any traditions that don't involve spending money? Do you participate in "Black Friday" or max out the credit cards at Christmas time? What's the relationship between money and the holidays in your home?

Another project I've been working on...

Here is another project I have been working on with my new sewing machine. I'm starting to learn how to read a pattern better, which helps tremendously! I managed to get to the fabric store the other day when they had a great sale on patterns... 99 cents each! I spent $10.00 and saved &137.50! I couldn't believe it when I looked at the receipt! I can usually find good fabric on sale too, its just a matter of waiting and reading the flyers!

A purse I finished last night... first project for myself!

Now I get to look through all the patterns I bought and decide what to do next! I don't know why I didn't pick up on this utilitarian hobby earlier, its great fun!

Early Christmas Gifts

My wonderful husband gave me my gift early this year... my very first sewing machine! I have been having fun learning how to use it. So far I have made lounge pants for Rob and Stephen, and a bag for a young lady I know. Here are a few pictures... not bad for my first try!

Winter is definitely here!

Wow! What a sudden change! Winter is definitely here!

It is -24F at my house this morning. Cold enough that I have the water trickling in the bathroom sinks so that the pipes don't freeze. Every time I think about getting chickens, this is the one drawback I come up with. What about in the middle of winter? I know that they can survive quite comfortably with the right setup, but am I really going to want to go collect eggs at 40 below? The answer, of course, is no, but I would do it anyway! I just need to think about this when I determine how far from the house I decide to locate the coop.

Stephen has expressed an interest in vegetable gardening and raising chickens, so I recently requested some information from our local 4-H folks. The packet just got here, so I need to read and see what they have to offer. We wouldn't be joining until summer at the earliest, but I think this will be more of a next-year project. At any rate, I'm glad he's interested. That means that he is listening to what I am trying to teach him!

Now that there is real snow on the ground, I am really starting to think about Christmas. I have about half of my gifts made, and I need to decide what type of preserves to make. I want it to be something festive, so maybe something like pear/pomegranate jelly? I'll have to start flipping through my canning cookbooks for ideas.

We had an early Thanksgiving dinner with some close friends of ours last weekend. Today I am making turkey soup with the leftovers. The house will soon be smelling warm and delicious, which is perfect for a cold day like today. I love turkey leftovers!

Its still not snowing!

Well, the weather warmed up a bit, hovering right at freezing at the moment. But its still not snowing! I love the first REAL snowfall. (as opposed to the dusting we got the other day.) Big, white fluffy snowflakes drifting slowly to the ground, it makes me feel warm, even if they are made of ice! I want to look out the window and see a perfect blanket of white staring back at me, undisturbed except for the occasional moose tracks, or mouse tracks, depending on how close to the house you happen to be looking!

Ok, my neighbor already put up a Christmas tree in their living room... that, my friends, is overkill. What about Thanksgiving? We seem to rush these things more and more each year. This year I intend to slow things down a bit. Hand-making my Christmas gifts will be a big part of that. I am looking forward to putting the baskets together, probably making a few more jams or jellies to include, and making the dishcloths one by one. I've just never had the time to do it before, and I am excited! A real, home-made holiday season!