November, Where Did You Go?

Just yesterday, or so it seems, I did the post for Veterans Day, and now tomorrow starts December.  I must confess (probably not for the first time) that September through December is my favorite time of the year.  There is such a beauty in the months and excitement in the holidays.  Poor January.  

Anyhoo (I just love that non-word), I had an unexpected few hours this morning due to a last minute cancellation of Bible study and so I've spent them devising my plans for our Christmas card.  I haven't made our cards for a few years because I didn't think of it in the summer and I was too tired and/or busy to do it by the time they should be sent.  Since it's still November, I feel I'm waaaay ahead of myself here and I'm feeling pretty good about it.  I hope to go into production this afternoon. There will be no pictures today because some of you will be receiving our card.  :-)

This morning I read this thought-provoking quote from Ann Voskamp: "Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it's a sign that I've taken on something of the world and not of Christ.  Any weight in Christmas has to be of this world."  Excellent words to remember.  

May your December be filled with joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and share His love.

Sewing Room Update

No, Moby's not home.  This is his cousin, Stitchy, on loan from the shop while Dr. Sam continues to treat poor Moby.  However, it is wonderful to be able to stitch again with all the bells and whistles!  Jumbo hoop project coming up!  

The OESD Christmas collections Bernina offers each fall are wonderful again this year, but my favorite of all the designs is the lace box.  It's beautiful.  

I think I'll attach a ribbon to the center and hang it from the tree.  Hmmm, or maybe I'll set it on one the of glass shelves in the niche by the fireplace.  Decisions...  Here's what the pieces look like before "some assembly required."  

These were all made on my old Brother ULT and it did a wonderful job, but with Stitchy's arrival, my sewing mojo is back! 

I haven't started decorating for Christmas yet.  The days are sunny and cold, with no more snow, so it seems a shame to hurry fall out the door.  Winter will soon enough be upon us, but I'm truly enjoying these stunning last autumn days.  Thanksgiving seems to be getting the bum's rush lately, so I've decided to make it my mission to extend it to its rightful prominence this year.   

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving dear friends and family!  May your day be filled with special times, good food, and most of all, thankfulness to God who has so richly blessed us all. 

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; 

For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

I Ch 16:34

Bread Day

I got up this morning and decided to start a loaf of bread in the bread machine.  Oops!  The little mixing lever was frozen again.  Hmm, amazingly (I'm not a morning person), I decided I could just as easily mix up a batch in the Kitchenaid.  So I did!

I do love my bread machine, but I'd forgotten how much fun it is to "make it myself".  There I was, barefooted in my checked flannel nightshirt, happily dumping and mixing.  I used my Polish Bread recipe, the one I use to make rolls, and added several cups of King Arthur White Whole Wheat, which gave the dough a lovely caramel color.

One of the neatest finds I've stumbled onto lately is my dough rising bucket.  I originally got it for mixing and storing the artisan bread in five minutes a day dough, but one day I grabbed it to let my roll dough rise.  I'm telling you, there's something magical about this bucket.  I think the lid helps the rising dough generate some heat of its own, and even on a cold, dark day like today my dough will rise fairly quickly.  In the past, especially if there's whole wheat in it, it could take up to four hours for my dough to double in our cool house.  Not any more!

I ordered it from King Arthur Flour and would definitely recommend it.  If you don't already get their catalog, I'll recommend it, too.  It's wonderful and when a new one arrives, I love to sit down with a new cup of something hot and enjoy myself for a while.

And here's a picture of today's final product:

Mmmm....

P.S.  Dan was able to fix the bread machine again.

Thanks Dad and Dan

I'm blessed to be the daughter and wife of veterans.  My dad was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division during WWII, jumped at D Day, and was wounded at Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge) and during the invasion of Holland.  I'm so thankful he survived to come home, marry Mom, and have Bruder Bear and me.  The picture below, taken "somewhere in Europe", is cropped from a larger group photo and is not the best.  Dad is the one standing.

My sweetie, Dan, served at Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, from December 1968 to December 1969,  While he wasn't on the front lines, he dodged rocket attacks and stood guard duty many long and lonely nights while working on airplanes by day.  I'm thankful he came home, found me, and made all my dreams come true.

Thinking of all those who have served over our country's history.  We are blessed beyond belief.  Give your veterans a hug or a call and say thank you.

A Finish!

Waaayy back last summer I mentioned I was working on a project for the shop that was out of my comfort zone. Then Moby decided to have his nervous breakdown and I confess, I lost my sewing mojo.  After weeks and weeks of hoping Moby would recover, I finally decided it was time to get on with my sewing life and get some projects finished.

Enter that shop project.  Last week I valiantly revved up my gumption and got with the program.  It's a Christmas table topper using Nancy Halvorson's Jingle All the Way fabric collection.  They're bright and non-traditional colors.  The blocks are made of disappearing nine patches using 5" squares.  The pattern called for charm squares, but I used nine fat quarters and cut them into 5" squares.  It's 50" square, which is big.

I think my favorite part is the red binding, which is a plaid cut on the bias.  I'm actually pleased with how the whole thing turned out; it's not my style, but it's very cute.

Here's a closer version on my table:

It's a little big for the table without it's big "have everyone over top" on it, but you get a better view of the fabrics and colors.  I'll take it over to the shop later today or tomorrow so it can go on display, and hopefully help sell some fabric!

Snow! And Cake!

We had our first snowflakes of the season today. For a while the ground was sprinkled with white, but then it disappeared even though the snow continued to fall as the temperatures rose. Why is it that sometimes it will snow at 36 degrees, even up to 40, and rain at 30? Well, I'm no scientist so that question will remain unanswered. For now, anyway.

This was the view to the southeast just a few minutes ago:

I've resisted playing any Christmas music today, but it's coming!

And the cake part of today's title? We're having a ladies soup and bread night at church this evening and I made an old recipe entitled Dutch Apple Cake to have as dessert. I got the recipe from Goldie Adams, a neighbor of my family's when I was in high school. I haven't made it in years, but I had some apples that needed using, and it's a cozy recipe for a cozy day.

Here's the recipe:

Dutch Apple Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp orange rind (optional--or used dried)
• 1 cup canned milk
• 2 cups chopped apple
• 1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Instructions:

Mix sugars and shortening well.  Add eggs.  Mix dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture, alternating a third at a time with the milk.  Fold in apples and nuts (if using). Spread in a greased 9x13 pan, sprinkle the top with sugar, and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350.  

This is good both warm and cold, topped with whipped topping or not.  It's also nice as a coffee type cake in the morning!

Hope your day has been warm and cozy.  It's beginning to look a lot like...