Cozy Day, Fun Day

As I began to empty the dishwasher this morning, I realized it would be a good day to swap out the everyday dishes for our Christmas dishes. Everything was clean, making it the perfect time.

I've had Christmas dishes for close to twenty-five years. In our old house, they were stored in boxes in the cubby underneath the stairs, but in this house their home is in a wonderful set of cupboards at the end of the main floor hall. It's just a few simple trips (well, maybe more than a few) up and down the hall to swap. No unboxing the Christmas dishes and boxing up the everyday dishes. Love it!

As I was moving the dishes, I noticed a few other things so I began to replace candles and a few wall items. That led to the closet in the boys' room where I hang seasonal wall quilts. Down with the autumn wall hangings and up with the Christmas ones.

I have yet to begin opening my many boxes of Christmas decorations, so it's just a hint of Christmas so far. But with what's out, a few lighted candles, and Christmas music on my iPod, it's looking like Christmas is on its way. A fitting start to the advent season.


We have about eight inches of snow and an amazing forecast for 100% probability of snow in the next thirty-six hours. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with some blue sky above the snowy landscape and the perfect time for meatloaf, baked potatoes and baked squash for supper. Yum!

Saturday, Sewing Day!

Yes, I made it into my sewing room today although I almost missed it. While getting some new rolls of TP out of the hall closet upstairs, I realized my hand was wet where I was touching the paper wrapper. Oops! I felt around, and sure enough, there were drips coming down a pipe that travels up through the floors. It's part of an old radon detection system that was in the house when we bought it. I put in a call to Dan who was again at Eric and Ann's to give him the bad news.

He got home within half an hour and thankfully, no roof leak, just some snow that blew down the vent and melted. He did some preventative work in the attic and just left to go back to Ann's.

Since he didn't have to go up a ladder and onto the roof, I was able to go to my sewing room and work on the project I'd just started when I made my discovery. Here's my completed project. I stitched out the design several days ago, and promised to show what I did with it when I came up with a plan.


And here's a closeup of the embroidery design which came from the November free CD that Bernina offered this year.


I've never done a pillow with this type of edge before, but the design didn't seem to want my usual ruffle around it, and a plain knife edge didn't seem the thing, either. The whole pillow is out of my usual color comfort zone, but I like it. I don't know how it will go with my other pillows and decorations, but then maybe it's supposed to be a gift for someone. :-)

Friday, Baking Day

Dan was helping Eric on their remodeling work today and I had every intention of sewing. But then I remembered that I would need to have a meal ready for Sunday for a couple at church who just had a new baby. They live about thirty miles away, so the plan is for several of us to have meals ready for them in the church freezer so they can just take them home and eat them as needed.

I decided I'd get some cookies made today and then make up a casserole tomorrow. So to the kitchen I went and began a batch of chocolate chippers. As I was baking them, I thought about how good the rolls I'd made for Thanksgiving had tasted, and how some more would be tasty with the split pea soup I had in the frig from several nights ago. Hmmm...

I washed up the mixer bowl and beater, ran the dishwasher, and decided that yes indeed, I would make up another batch of rolls. Back to the mixer, out with flour, yeast, eggs, and oil. Oh how I love my KitchenAid mixer! I dumped the dough out on the counter and gave it a few kneads for good measure and set it to rise.

I finished up some wash, put on my boots and coat, got the mail and retrieved the garbage can (garbage day), made some tea and sat down with the mail and a book. I woke myself up a little while later (smile) and punched down the dough, formed the rolls, let them rise again, and finally popped them in the oven. Dan got home just as I was taking them out. Is there a better smell than freshly baked bread?

So now it's evening. I didn't get near my sewing room, but I have a pile of rolls on the counter and we'll enjoy them tomorrow.


And now the big question: Will I make it to my sewing room tomorrow?? Stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. We here at the resort are giving thanks to God for his many blessings to us.

My pies are made, the rolls are rising, and the salad is just needing to be mixed, then we're off to Ann and Eric's for a meal with friends and family.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting
Give thanks to the God of gods,
For his lovingkindness is everlasting
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindnes is everlasting.

--Psalm 136:1-3

Blessings on you all!

Thankful for a Winter Wonderland

My favorite time of the year is here. The addition of a winter storm has made the beginning perfect.


The picture above is of our back yard taken from the deck, and the one below was taken from the front porch.


The snow is still falling and weather.com says it will continue until tomorrow morning when the temperature will fall to a high of 13. I heard on the television that it's been twenty years since we've had such weather at this time of year.

My iPod is attached to its docking station with Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums playing, and a sugar cookie scented candle is burning in the kitchen. We went to the grocery store over the weekend and stocked up on holiday staples, so I'm set to make pies, rolls, and a salad to take to Ann and Eric's for Thanksgiving. They are having all of Eric's family in for the day and we've been invited to join them. My parents are driving to Lewiston with a friend to enjoy the wonderful buffet at Meriwether's at the Red Lion. It's a holiday tradition they really enjoy.

The basement wood stove is blasting away adding to the cozy day here at the resort. When I finish this, I'm planning to go down to my sewing room and work on a Christmas project I started last night. What have I been working on lately, you ask?

This runner was quick and fun, made with Moda's Fruitcake by Basic Grey fabric. The pattern is from Gudrun Erla's book, Fast and Furious Holiday.


Another fun project I've been working on has been candle wraps. I've made smaller ones, but this is a large one I made using a current free design from the Bernina site.


I'm currently stitching out a 10" square wreath in machine embroidery. When I decide what I'm going to do with it and then do it, I'll post a picture.

As we approach Thanksgiving, we send wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving day with those you love. God is good!

Home Again

We're home after being gone for almost two weeks. A trip to Colorado to help our son and his family move into their new home in their new town. We had a wonderful time. And hopefully we were of help. :-)

We opened many boxes and unwrapped many items. All seemed to have survived their trip across the country from Virginia. Amy was happy to begin finding things that have been in storage since June; however, the packers seemed to have their own method for loading the boxes: cookie jar lid found, but no cookie jar; pots, but no lids (Amy did announce during a phone conversation on Saturday that they had finally been found!); baseball bats and a tennis racket on top of silk flower arrangements. Hmmm...

The weather was incredible. We spent a Saturday afternoon in 80 degree heat, slathering on sunscreen, watching grandson Ryan play soccer while in the distance the peaks of the Rockies were white with snow. Most spectators were wearing shots. Amazing!

Here's our number eleven, on the field:


Matt behind the boxes in the kitchen:


And one of Amy making a cup of Russian Tea on a much colder day with rain and snow coming down (note the cookie jar lid to the right!):


Our trip down was accompanied by perfect weather--sunshine and beautiful fall days. Our trip back was quite different. Snow as we left and up into Wyoming. The roads were terrible and we lost four hours because of delays caused by accidents. Gratefully, we were not involved in any of them. We finally arrived at Bruder Bear's house fourteen hours and fifteen minutes after our early morning departure. What a welcome treat to settle down in front of their fireplace and just relax and visit. In fact, it was so wonderful, we stayed an extra day and night. (Thanks again for your hospitality, Bruder!)

And now we're home. The weather has changed and it's cold and wet outside. The wind is whistling down the fireplace chimney and I can hear the wind chimes ringing. We're thankful for a trip filled with time with our wonderful family. We are blessed.

Pressure Cooking

Several of my faithful readers have some questions regarding pressure cooking, so I'm going to do a little info-mercial. :-)

I thank two blog friends for encouraging me to get a pressure cooker and then to actually use it. CJ of Created by CJ and Judy of Patchwork Times often wrote of using theirs, and when I began to ask them questions they offered a lot of help and encouragement.

Dan bought me my six-quart Fagor brand cooker two years ago for Christmas. It was one of two brands available here in our town, and it looked the best. True confession: it took me a year to use it. Yes, I was buffaloed. I finally got brave and tried it around Christmas last year. Dan later told me he had been sorely tempted to wrap it up and give it to me again!!

Here's a picture of mine sitting on my stove top:


It's nowhere near the size of my canning pressure cooker. And you can buy four-quart cookers. My blog friend CJ has several sizes and loves her four-quart.

The pressure cooker my mom had when I was growing up had a "jiggler" on the top that rattled all the while the cooker was under pressure. Today's pressure cookers are called second generation, or new generation, and have no jigglers. They are remarkably quiet and very easy to use. I could kick myself for taking so long to use mine.

Here's a picture of the top of mine:


The dial at the top can be set to no pressure, low pressure, or high pressure. Further down the handle you can see a small yellow dot that is the presssure indicator which pops up when pressure has been reached. To the right of the indicator is the slider which locks the lid closed. As you can see, pretty easy to run.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I bought Lorna Sass's book, Pressure Perfect. CJ recommended Lorna Sass to me and this book and another of hers in particular. Lorna is a pressure cooking guru and is almost single-handedly responsible for the pressure cooking revival that is starting to take place. If you google her, you'll find she has several websites and a number of videos you can watch.

I'm very much a novice at pressure cooking, but I love being able to create wonderful bean soups in a fraction of the time. Would that I had known about this when I was teaching! There are hundreds of recipes I still need to try and I look forward to learning more. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately?) for you, dear readers, you'll probably hear about them.