As December Ends

Well, I don't think anyone will be sorry to see this year end.  It's been a strange one for certain.  But then I have to remind myself that almost every generation has strange years.  Black plague? World wars? And on and on.  So, we count our blessings, keep moving forward and remind ourselves of what's truly important. And I'm sure it's not "stuff", but people that count.

We've been inundated with snow today.  Lots and lots of snow, and wind, so it's hard to tell just how much snow has actually fallen.  Dan plowed this early evening and now we've settled in for the night beside the fire. We are supposed to get more snow overnight so we'll see what the morning brings.  I made a big ham and split pea soup for supper in the Instant Pot, just the thing for a wintery day and there's lots left over for the next few days.  

When I was downstairs earlier I realized I didn't take any pictures of the family room to share so here's one:

That's the sewing machine I learned to sew on.  I haven't tried it since bringing it up when we cleared out Mom and Dad's house, but one of these days I will.  I probably need to take it out of the cabinet and have it gone through first, though. 

Happy New Year to one and all!! ♥

Merry Christmas!!

We've had a lovely day! After stockings (after eight a.m. for all but Daniel), we had a leisurely present opening as we ate our breakfast casserole, sipped coffee and visited.  Such fun! 

The rest of the day was spent snacking and playing with our new toys and napping.  We watched Home Alone I tonight at Daniel's request as he'd only seen it once before, two Christmases ago.  Some mentioned they weren't going to watch it again, but were later found to be in the audience.  :-)

And now it's almost ten-thirty.  Daniel is sound asleep; Eric, Cam and Keat are playing a game Cam got, and Ann and Dan are reading.  Perfect!

Merry Christmas to one and all!  

Success!

We did it!! Our Buche de Noel is a success!  

The recipe called for rosemary leaves but we have the real thing thanks to Papa Dan and his trees! Even a pine cone! Ann and I are so excited and proud of ourselves because last night we almost decided not to try it.  We're so glad we did.  

The table is set and the tree is waiting.  

Have a blessed Christmas! ♥

Buche de Noel

Ann and I decided to try to make a Buche de Noel for our Christmas Eve dinner.  We found a recipe from the Pioneer Woman and tonight we began. We read and reread the recipe. Then we pulled out bowls (many), mixers (two), and measuring cups and spoons.  Oh, and a fine mesh strainer to sift with.  There are many parts to making a Buche de Noel.

Ann separated the eggs and worked with the yolks while I did the whites.

Then we sifted, mixed and poured.

And finally baked!  

And part of the resulting mess--just keeping it real!

We forgot to take any more pictures as we rolled and filled.  We were too busy trying not to make any mistakes!  Tomorrow we'll make the frosting and cut and assemble. Hopefully we'll have more pictures to share then! ♥

We're Almost There!

Tomorrow is the official start of our Christmas celebrations.  Our intown gang will arrive in time for dinner (Papa Murphy's pizza) and we'll all settle in.  The presents are wrapped but are downstairs because while the tree is in, somehow it hasn't been decorated yet! I have a little more baking to do (the carolers came Saturday night and I passed out the Puddin' Head Gingerbread so we're down to just a few, which will never do).  

Ann and I are going to attempt to make a Buche de Noel or Yule Log tomorrow night for our Christmas Eve dinner.  Here's hoping! 

Here are a couple more pictures of Christmas decorations.  First up is the downstairs guest bath, just a little holiday fun in the corner of the counter.

The little "candle light" flickers and is so cute! A gift from a family back in my teaching days.

And here is a corner of my laundry room.  A lovely green chest of drawers purchased before Matt was born and painted and antiqued by me (anybody remember those antiquing days?).  

I made the gingerbread boy on the wall probably forty years ago and he's still so cute.  The little wooden doll in the corner was painted and dressed by me, but the doll itself was made by my friend Cyndie's husband, John.  The round box held Starbucks goodies, again from a family back in my teaching days.  The goodies are long gone, but the box was too cute to throw away.  It makes a perfect decoration.

And last, here's the dresser in the downstairs guest room, just waiting for its occupants' arrival tomorrow.

I love that old rocker in the corner.  It was a wedding present to Dan's grandparents back in 1911.  I think the original seat cover was leather, but we had it redone when it came to us in 1985. ♥ 

Cookies

It was the Christmas of l963 that Mom and I baked and baked and baked. Some out-of-town friends of Mom and Dad's dropped by one day and the wife brought a plate of Christmas treats. Hmmm, perhaps we could make some of our own was a thought that came to my mind.  Meanwhile, Mom picked up the latest issues of Woman's Day and Family Circle, inexpensive but good magazines available at the grocery store.  The Woman's Day always had a tear-out section of recipes and this month's was, of course, Christmas cookies.  Right into the palms of my hands! I was a freshman in high school and old enough to handle recipes on my own.

As far back as I could remember there had been a Dormeyer stand mixer just like the one pictured below in the cupboard over the stove.  

I don't remember it ever being used.  When I asked Mom about it she said it didn't work.  Then why did we have it? No answer.  However, we were about to embark on some heavy duty baking, so Mom borrowed a hand mixer from our neighbor, Goldie, and we went to work.  (Dad gave Mom a hand mixer for Christmas that year so we didn't have to borrow ever again.)

Mom and I continued this tradition for the next few years.  I don't remember if I baked when I came home from college on Christmas break, but I know Mom pretty much gave it up.  She did, however, turn into a manic fudge maker.  As I've mentioned, she was never much of a baker, and she loved chocolate, so fudge was a natural for her.  Pans and pans of it, which she shared with the neighbors.  

I made some white candy-coated pretzels last night and today I made another batch of cookies--frosted soft vanilla sugar cookies. The recipe comes from the Six Sisters and can be found here. I discovered the recipe last year and loved the ease of it.  Dan loves frosted sugar cookies but I confess to being too lazy to make them if I have to roll and cut. 

A cookie decorator I'm not, but the Christmas sprinkles make them look festive. They're yummy, trust me.  ♥

Christmas Thoughts, or More Pondering

Just got back from Sunday night Bible study with Pastor and realized my fingers smelled like smoked steelhead.  "Huh?" you say?  Yes, one of the men loves to fish and he brought a plate of very delicious smoked fish. The funny thing is, he doesn't like fish, but he loves to fish. And so he shares, and we all got an early Christmas gift.  

In all my talking about decorating and baking, I don't mean to leave out the reason our family celebrates Christmas.  It's because it's the time people in the early church chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Yes, it's tied into old pagan celebrations, but that's not what we emphasize. No one knows for certain when Jesus was born, but born he was, so we celebrate the most important birth in the history of the world.  And we do it with joy. 

It's not just about the gift giving and the cookies and the decorations, though they add to the joy. It's about loving those around us as God chose to love us.  

I have a cousin in Norway, Kristen, who is a children's pastor at her local church.  Sometimes we think Christmas is an American holiday, but of course it's not; it's for believers everywhere. She put up pictures today of taking her little daughter, Mathea, to the woods to talk, lay in the snow and look up at the trees.

Here's one of her photos. Isn't it beautiful? 

Look up! For the Lord draws nigh!  ♥

Quick Check-in

Just a note to say the Elf did some shopping and is wrapping Christmas presents and therefore unavailable for brilliant (or not so brilliant) writing.  Hope all is well as we begin the final countdown.  Relax and enjoy!  

♥

Just a Week Until Christmas!

A week from today we will have opened all the presents and by now will be laying around, sated from leftovers and cookies.  Some will be napping, others playing with new toys (and no matter the age, some presents will definitely be "toys"), and others still trying to get the puzzle completed. 

I feel like I have most things done and am pondering any last minute fun things to make or give.   So far no brilliant ideas have emerged.  I have yet to wander any stores, so I might do that.  We'll see. I am out of coffee creamer so that will necessitate a trip to Safeway in a short while or, as I told Dan, tomorrow morning will not be pretty. Sometimes they have interesting things stuck in out of the way places that are gifty.  

I pondered whether to put the recipe for the Puddin' Head gingerbread on here, but a request for it lets me know some are interested.  I got the recipe from a student's mom the spring of 1985 when I took over a classroom in Clarkston for half a year. The student brought me cookies now and then. I really liked this one so her mom was happy to share.  It's called Puddin' Head gingerbread because (gasp) it uses a box of Jello brand cooked butterscotch pudding mix.  Yes, a mix is part of the recipe.  Gives great flavor, more of a spice cookie rather than a true deep gingerbread.  

Puddin' Head Gingerbread

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1 (3 1/2 oz) regular (not instant) butterscotch pudding mix
1 egg
1 2/3 c flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter, brown sugar, and pudding mix.  Add egg; beat well.  Add dry ingredients and chill 10-15 minutes.  Roll out on floured surface to 1/4" thick; cut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350° for 6-8 minutes. If using large cutters, increase time to 10 minutes.  

I usually double the recipe because they are one of my son-in-law Eric's favorite cookies.  Oh, who am I kidding? We all love them! I don't even decorate them, they are good as is.  ♥

Busy Day!

Apparently I recovered my mind after a night's sleep and I've amazed myself at what I've gotten done today.  I cleaned the inside of the frig, removing everything from the door bins and washing them out followed by the shelves and drawers.  It looks so tidy in there now. Orderly even.  At least for a day or so! 

Next up was deep cleaning the main bath upstairs, scouring the sink and the toidy so they sparkle.  So that leads me to my next set of decorating photos.  Christmas, even in the bathrooms.

The little lamp stays on twenty-four hours a day and gives a warm glow to a bath that has no outside window. The door to the bathroom is just to the right of this photo. Below is a view of the other side of the sink area, taken from the doorway. 

Next up is a closeup of the quilted wall hanging I made using my embroidery machine.  I'm still amazed I can do such large designs!

And last, this cute little snowman soap dispenser. Can't remember where I found him, but I love him!

And last, but not least, I made more cookies! A double batch of Puddin' Head gingerbread cutouts.  

I've been making these for thirty-six Christmases! Tradition!!  ♥

No News Wednesday

I'm here in body, if not in mind.  We went grocery shopping this evening to avoid the crowds and now there's not a drop of energy left in my body. Some days I truly feel my age! Anyway, I think we have everything we need for Christmas meals and that's a good feeling.

I'll just put this little picture up and wish you all happy and joyous days as we lead into Christmas Day.  

♥

Laundry, Cookies, and A Little Sewing

Today was a busy day with household chores mixed with Christmas baking and a little mask making.  I began with washing our sheets, the first load of the day, and then finally remembering to make myself a Christmas mask.  The fabric is a classic Mary Engelbreit design.

I continued with laundry and did a little ironing and then turned to cookie making.  This time I went with the little cookie stamps and made  a traditional shortbread recipe and a brown sugar one.  These have been tradition for thirty years or more.  They smell so good! (So far I've resisted eating one . . .)

Dinner was easy--toasted cheese and tomato basil soup.  And now I'm falling in a heap.  ♥

Christmas Baking Starts!

I did it!  I got two kinds of cookies made today. One was kind of a cheater cookie in that it was just a layer and bake--the Magic Bar Cookie made with sweetened condensed milk.  Haven't made those in years and since I had four cans of the milk, decided to "give them a whirl."  Still yummy!

I also made gingerbread cookies.  Several years ago Ann gave me a box of cookie stamps as part of my Christmas.  I've used cookie stamps before, but just small ones on shortbread type dough. These stamps are big!

And they make big cookies.  Very yummy big cookies.  I use the recipe on the box and the first time I made them I was a little leery as they call for a tablespoon of ginger, but they are really, really good cookies.  Guys especially like them! Last year when the men from our church came caroling, I passed out cookies before they drove away in the van.  From the back I heard, "Now THIS a gingerbread cookie!" followed by several assents.  In the photo below you can see some ready for the oven, some baked ones behind, and the stamps to the side.

When I was making the bar cookies I got out my stash of baking chips and realized I might have a problem.  A problem with buying baking chips. Apparently I have no shortage!

I didn't count the bags, but I'm guessing around two dozen.  ♥

Sunday Evening

Well, I just remembered that I'd better pop on and at least say I'm here! It's been a lovely, relaxing day with snow falling throughout.  They said we'd maybe get half an inch, but at least three are down, and since it's still snowing, maybe more by morning.  Dan plowed this afternoon and I napped.  Sounds like a good balance of effort, doesn't it?  :-)

We stopped at Subway to grab a couple of subs for lunch after church. I've found a new one I really like--teriyaki sweet onion.  I get a foot-long and save the other half for lunch the next day. Rats, now that I'm thinking about it, I want to go and eat it now.  Must.Be.Strong. Must.Be.Strong.

Tomorrow I need to get serious about beginning my Christmas baking. Think I'll start with a couple of cookie recipes, one that needs refrigerating, and one I can bake right away.  Now that I've written that, I'll have to be accountable.  

Here's a closeup of the top of the china hutch featuring a little counted cross stitch scene, also designed by The Prairie Schooler. 

Stay warm out there!  Winter seems to have arrived in all its icy beauty. ♥ 

Ponderings

First let me say that my oven is clean again!  I did it last night in case the baking bug bit again today (it didn't).  It's shiny and beautiful once more. Which makes me ponder why, in the twenty-one years I've owned this stove, I've only used the self-clean three times and two of those were in the past month.  And don't kid yourself that it was shiny clean all those years!  

Ponder Two: Kathy and Hallie both commented on my last post about family recipes and asked if we had any.  None. I think I've mentioned this before, but my mom's dad came from Norway in 1906 when he was twenty years old.  I don't think recipes were something he would have brought with him.  (Smile)  He married Grandma in 1920 when he was thirty-four and she was twenty. Very common for male immigrants as they worked to establish themselves before beginning a family. Grandma was half Russian (mother) and half German (father).  So why were there no recipes in mom's collection from Great-Grandma or Grandma? I think they were both instinctive cooks and didn't bother with recipes.

Ponder Three: Christmas traditions.  I grew up with very few.  The Christmas tree was about the only Christmas decoration we had with the exception of displaying Christmas cards as they came in.  (Back in the fifties and sixties, everyone pretty much sent cards, even people right in town that you were likely to see on your way to get the mail.)  I'm sure the fact that both my parents grew up during the depression had a lot to do with the lack of Christmas traditions in their young lives, and carried over into my young life. 

But we all know Christmas traditions are alive and well at my house.  So where did it all come from? I'll tell you.  From my long-time pal Kathy's house. Buddies since kindergarten, I was often in her house during all seasons, but at Christmastime, her house was positively magical.  A huge tree, covered with amazing handcrafted ornaments. Christmas cookies and candies.  The list goes on. I loved every glimpse of it and when I got my own home, began to do the same. 

Enough of the pondering. No photos today because how do you take a picture of pondering? A furrowed brow?  A quizzical pucker?  Nah! ♥

And the Snow Came Softly Down

The view at dusk this evening

They had forecast snow for today and they were right.  I woke up to hear my phone signal a text and found one from Ann saying too much ice, no school today. Apparently there was black ice everywhere.  Dan said he had trouble even in the gravel while getting the paper when he got up. And it was starting to snow.  A day to spend in the kitchen for certain as the snow continued to fall. At first I thought I would begin on my Christmas cookie baking, but then I remembered a recipe I've been wanting to try.

A little back story:  When my brother and I were kids, as in grade school, my mom, who was not a baker, would very occasionally make a sweet roll she called orange kuchen rolls. Oh, were they ever good! For whatever reason, she only made them during a short season of a year or two. They had a crunchy topping of butter, sugar and grated orange peel and the bottoms were gooey with the same ingredients.  

When we were cleaning out my parents' house, one of the things I searched for was that recipe. As I looked, John came in and asked if I'd found a recipe for "those orange rolls Mom made when we were little." He'd never forgotten them, either!  I never did find it.  I searched the internet and came up empty.  I looked through her old cookbooks. Nothing.  And then one day this past year, I was looking through her Electric Bread cookbook which I had kept and spotted a picture that looked like those orange rolls I remembered. The recipe was called Orange Kisses, and from the description, sounded like it came from the same era Mom made hers.  

Today was the day.  I texted John and told him my plan to try and began.  I did use my Zojirushi bread machine to make the dough and then finished up in the oven.  I seemed to remember that Mom made hers in an angel food cake pan, so I dug out mine and used it.  That was mistake number two.

Mistake number one you ask?  Well, I've used the same brand of yeast for ever and a day.  It's Saf-Instant Red and it's great stuff.  I opened a new package about the time the virus became known and everyone was buying up all the flour and yeast in the land.  And a strange thing happened the first time I used it.  My bread rose twice as high. What? So I tried again, with the same results.  High is nice, too high, not so much. As a result, since then I've used half the amount of yeast a recipe calls for.  Until today.  Um hum, I used the full amount and my dough was very soft and puffy.  

Back to the pan.  The  butter and sugar/orange peel mix leaked out the bottom of the pan, all over the oven I just cleaned a few weeks ago. 

I know what I'll be doing tomorrow!  Running the self-clean program again!  

Meanwhile, the rolls.  The verdict?  I think I've found the right recipe! I'm so excited! I just ate one, and despite the "fluffiness" of it, the taste seemed to be what I remembered, with the crunchy top and the gooey bottom.  Bruder Bear will be thrilled!

I made supper in the crockpot, potatoes, carrots and hamburger in white sauce, but I just may eat my way through these rolls instead.  Oh, and about the yeast.  I think it's been a gift to me that it's, for some reason, double strength, because it has been impossible to find these last ten months.  I've made all our bread and I still have so much yeast left. I'm thankful. ♥

Fall in a Heap Day

Apparently I used up all my energy and brilliant words over the last few days and to use one of our favorite phrases, I've fallen in a heap today. I've done nothing constructive and thought no deep thoughts.  (Do I ever think deep thoughts? I'll think deeply about that.)  (Smile)

So here are a couple of photos of past projects. The first is a stitchout from Embroidery Library which is no longer available. I suspect it's because the digitiser used the UK spelling of counsellor instead of the American counselor. I don't mind. It hangs at the top of the stairs to the basement.

And here's a closer view of the window pane quilt in the living room.  It uses Holly Taylor's fabrics in a Doug Leko of Antler Quilt Designs pattern.

And that's it for today from the Resort. I think we're going to pick up dinner curbside somewhere tonight. Heap! It's fall in a heap day! ♥  

 

Cards and This 'n That

Today was Christmas card day.  As in getting them ready to send.  It finally dawned on me that if I was going to do the cards, I needed to get busy and write the official Christmas letter.  I down at my computer and then moaned to Dan, "What is there to write about in this crazy year?" He immediately rattled off several things.  "Wait!" I said. "Write that stuff down for me!"  He did, and using his notes, I got one written. I told him thank you.  (:

Here's the scene this afternoon (and yes, those are Susan Winget cards):

I got them all done and they are ready to go into the mailbox tomorrow morning.  Yay! 

After I posted yesterday's blog of the kitchen, I realized that the little angel garland didn't really show up in the cookbook cupboard photo so I took a closeup of them today.  They are so adorable and were handmade by Carol Galloway, a very talented artist from Cavendish.

And one more photo from the kitchen, on the wall just to the right of the angels.  Another gift from Bruder Bear and Karen, along with a small Santa ornament from my Secret Santa one year when I was teaching.  

And that's the rest of my kitchen.  ♥

Christmas in the Kitchen

I seem to spend a lot of time in my kitchen.  Dan has never eaten cold cereal so a hot breakfast it is each day.  From the start of the day until evening, I am probably in the kitchen more than another other room in the house, unless I'm on a sewing mission.  Decorating my kitchen happens with each season, but never so much as for Christmas.  These are new photos, but may be very similar to ones I've posted in past years.

The cookbook cupboard Dan made me some years ago is my favorite spot of all.  The Jim Shore trees and Santa just make the top and were gifts from Ann at past Christmases.  

The broom is many years old, probably dated, but I still love it.  I made it probably forty years ago. The calendar is a Susan Winget one, the same artist who did the illustrations for the book in my Bear Corner pictured a few days ago.  The snowman platter was a gift from Bruder Bear and Karen, and under it, if you click on the photo to enlarge it, is a garland of little angels, a gift from Susan Boehne, a teacher friend of mine.  The wooden mitten on the door knob was made by Cyndie McCabe, another long-time friend and former neighbor.  I get the best gifts! 

These little snowmen, perched by my sink, were also a gift, made by a former assistant principal at the school where I taught.  So cute!

And on the wall in the breakfast nook is a quilt I made from a Country Threads pattern, called Uncle Santa, also many years old.  

Even my stove gets a little decorating.  I put my lovely dark green Staub dutch oven on the back burner, put an appliqued towel on the oven handle, and park an adorable snowman timer next to it.  Those red spatulas in the utensil crock fit right in, too!

And last, here is the breakfast nook table.  

You can see Uncle Santa on the wall, and on the table is a runner I made for Mom and Dad and brought home after we cleared out their house. The sleigh centerpiece was made by a friend the first year we moved back to town, so it's been on that table since Christmas of 1985.  Tradition!!  ♥

A Little Nativity Scene Story

Last year I was looking at a picture of a country house decorated for Christmas and something on one of the walls caught my attention.  It was a rustic nativity scene and I loved it.  The picture was rather dark, but I thought the lines of it could be seen well enough for Dan to try making one.  I showed him the picture and he loved it, too, and said he'd try. Of course, he was successful and here's a closeup.

And here's where it is in our house, over the stairway to the basement.

We showed it to Ann and she, too, loved it, so Dan made one for her. The other night, we got a text from her with the following message and photo: "Daniel put his precious peanut baby Jesus in the manger!"

It was the baby Jesus from a nativity scene he had make in Sunday School a few years ago. He'd made a manger from popsicle sticks and baby Jesus from a peanut wrapped with felt. Ann had put it with her big nativity scene because she loved it so much, but then Daniel noticed that Mary was holding baby Jesus, so he couldn't be in the manger, too.  Ann was working in the kitchen and didn't see what he was doing, but later when she passed by the one on the wall, she spotted the little baby in the manger.  

Here's a closeup:

It's just the sweetest thing and makes this Grammy's heart melt.  Merry Christmas! ♥

Sunday

It's Sunday and while it was fogged in early, the day has emerged with a beautiful blue sky and sunshine.  When we arrived at church, someone or more probably several someones, had chalked the parking lot and the walkway into the foyer with the names of God.  One after another they emerged into view as we walked forward.  Mighty One, Counselor, King of Kings, and on and on they went! It was amazing and inspiring. No one claimed responsibility, so I guess it was a Christmas gift to us all.

And speaking of Christmas, last evening Ann and Eric posted this picture, which I shamelessly stole, of the tree they cut yesterday.  It's gorgeous!!

You can see the closed pocket door behind it. Their house has a circle in it so no worries that they can't get into the kitchen. :-)  I love seeing Daniel standing on the arm of the chair, balancing himself on the ceiling, to hang a high ornament. As Eric said, it needed a bit of encouragement to fit through the door, but they love it!  ♥

Early December Saturday

What is it about Saturdays?  Even when you don't work, Saturdays are special.  I sort of slept in, eight-thirty, which was lovely.  After breakfast we began plotting our projects for the day.  For me, that meant serious Christmas shopping so I could cross it off my list.  After conferring with Ann and Dan, I achieved success. Decisions were made and the items were ordered.  Yay!!

Then to the basement to store decoration boxes (Dan), and finish basement decorating (me).  As we worked on those things, boxes of things from my parents' house--files, photos, etc.--surfaced and we were able to do a little sorting and consolidating and shredding.  Another yay!

This afternoon Ann and family came to get their Christmas tree from Papa's Tree Farm in our lower backyard.  Such fun!  Such a huge tree!! They used our pickup to drive around to pick it up so the boys all decided a ride in the back was called for.

I didn't get a picture of the tree in the back of the truck because they left the back way.  I hear they had to pull a pocket door closed from the living room to the kitchen to create a corner big enough for the tree.  It sure made for a fun afternoon! ♥

Christmas in the Dining Room

It's only two o'clock and I've remembered! The dining room is pretty much ready to celebrate the days leading up to Christmas so I thought I'd feature it today.  I'll try to remember to take a picture of the table all set for Christmas dinner when the time comes.  It's very festive, if I do say so myself, with the Christmas dishes, crystal, shiny flatware, and red plaid accented table coverings.  

So, to commence!  Here's a long view of the room.

My sweetie made all the furniture with the exception of the chairs, which I would love to replace.  Some day.

And a closeup of the left wall.

The Bible on the dough box belonged to Dan's grandmother, Aletha Miller. It's open to Luke Chapter 2.  I made the counted cross stitch St. Nicholas's years and years ago and I talked about them in this post. 

Here's the table for now.

It's not a large table; it was built for the house we lived in at the time and worked just fine until we added in-laws and grandchildren.  Dan solved the problem by building a much larger plywood top that we drop on so that we can easily fit ten or more around.  The only issue?  Dan doesn't build anything that isn't sturdy, and it takes hardy sons, brothers, or grandsons to bring it in and put into place.  Just part of the dinner fun!

And the hutch.  Again, built for another house, but it might as well have been custom made for this house, it fits so perfectly.

The candle on the right is one of those battery operated ones and it has a timer on it.  I smile every evening when I notice it glowing about five o'clock.  

And the little shelf next to the hutch.

Hmm, looks like I chopped off the top of the candle.  Oh well!  Dan turned the wooden holder and of course, built the shelf.  The little Hummels were ornaments I gave my mom years ago, and the plate and little pitchers were gifts from my long-time pal, Kathy, when she lived in Boston for a few years.  I made the wall hanging using my embroidery machine for the words.  

And that's the dining room, all decked out to celebrate the season.  ♥