Baking Tarts and Cheesy Christmas Movies

Doing a little happy dance around my house tonight. I managed to make 3 dozen perfect (well almost) butter tarts. I made 2 dozen last week and followed a tip from the internet, Pinterest I think, and they burnt black!! I was furious.

Tonight I went back to following the method my darling Mama used, and that woman could cook. I used her way, the same way I have been doing them for years and look what I got. Not a burned mark in the bunch. They bubbled up but not over, pastry is rich and flaky. I am completely happy. I can give them to the person that paid for them at the office fundraiser and stroke that off my Christmas to do list. I have enough pastry left to make for my own family at Christmas. Win Win I say. Mama was right once again. ( can you hear her hooting YES!! from heaven, I can)

Whilst baking tarts, I was watching Christmas movies on tv. You know the kind, predicable, cheesy, soppy and I love them. Its putting me in the mood for the season. This weekend I am hoping to get the lights up outside, finish the Christmas shopping and in general tackle the to do list. I have decided not to do all the decorating I usually do this year but I can't wait to get some stuff up. This weekend is Dec 1st and in this house that means its time to get the decorations out and up.

Well its late and I am tired. I have lists dancing in my head, things to do, places to go, people to see. I am sure it will all get done. I just have to keep chipping away.

Toodles,

Linda

Busy, Busy Busy and a Baby

Oh my its happy baby arrival's everywhere. First Miss Mouse and the Farmer welcomed the Farmer Boy and now more good news. Mamabug, Daddybug and Ladybug got to welcome Babybug this Monday. Little man made his appearance and it is wonderful. I have yet to meet this little boy but I will. So excited for all of them. They had some sad times but this is a wonderful, joyful, blessed event. I am so happy, cause I am going to get to play being Grandma again.  A little girl and now a precious boy. Good times!!

This past weekend I had a fantastic time. The Banker and I went to a scrap booking retreat with Princess Diva and some other friends.

We were in a church camp building by a lake and we had tons of room to work. A big table to ourselves to spread out and get scrappin'. The last crop weekend I went to was so cramped and crowded it nearly put me off for good. Not the case here. 

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26 scrapping crazy women spent the entire weekend working on projects. Family treasures, special events, fabulous holidays, all being preserved in the most creative albums. How interesting to wander about and see what every one is doing. To share and help and encourage. It was so much fun. Serious laughter took place as did lots of sharing and making of new friends.

One of the nicest bits was that it was not run by a company. It was a group of like minded women, spending time creating without any hidden agenda. You could do whatever you wished. Princess Diva made mosaic stars. I split my time between my scrap book and a crocheting project. You could go for a walk, sit by the fire, read, eat, chat, nap...... just do as you please. 

The lodge had lots of room to work, a separate eating area, plenty of bedrooms upstairs and a row of windows that looked out onto the lake. I mean seriously this view was worth the trip and keep me enchanted while I downed my first coffee of the weekend.

I could happily have a cabin with a view like this. We were fed extremely well. 

The Banker and I worked on our Ireland scrapbooks and it was so much fun. We got to relive the entire holiday. She remembered things I had forgotten and the same thing happened with me. I got half the trip scrapbooked minus the odd picture and some journalling. I was very pleased with what I got done over my time there. It is interesting to see what she did with the same pictures that I have. No two scrapbooks are ever the same. Creating is so individual.

In no time at all it was time to pack up and head home.

This weekend I am headed off with Teddy Bear to visit the Hostess. Its our first chance to check out her new house and new home. Hopefully the weather will be good and we get there and home again with no problems. Winter has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. 

Toodles,

Linda

I Was Going To Do Some Baking Today But.....

Its Remembrance Day and I don't have all the ingredients that I need to do the baking I had wanted to do. I should have gone shopping yesterday or on Saturday but I was busy with other chores. I am not going shopping on this day. Its a day to remember, not to be shopping. I will do that another day. Today I will be quietly at home, puttering and thinking, mostly about my Dad and Uncle Tom. The uncle I never got to know because he died in the war. A teenager really, far to young to be dead and gone. While I do not think war is right, I am eternally grateful to those who serve and protect us, the ones before and those that safe guard us now.

How lucky am I that I am safely content in my home, warm, fed, loved and most important....safe. I can spend my time puttering at the bread an butter details of life with little to no concern for my safety, my rights and my quality of life. People gave their lives for this gift and we need to always be mindful of that.

Saturday was dedicated to reclaiming the kitchen, cleaning, putting things in their proper place and getting it back to where it should be. There was a lot to be done and there is still a few more things to be done. The Halloween decorations need to go back tot he basement but all in all its ready for company. I hauled out tons of recycle, finally put the new vacuum together, and did a mountain of dishes. I can see the table top again and the counter tops. The stained, old, really need to be replaced counter tops. Sigh!!

I also tackled a mountain of laundry. I have not washed clothes in two weeks, I had towels, sheets and floor mats to do. So I whipped up a batch of laundry soap and went to town. I am still working on it. I have two loads of towel to dry and then the mats to wash. My dryer takes its time drying stuff. I prefer to hang things to dry but towels are nicer done in the dryer. In the cold weather, I just do them in the dryer, it the warm weather I choose a windy day and hang them out.

Today, I am going to get going on a quilt. I found a spare loot bag that I made last year and so I am going to make the name tag for the little Farmer Boy. He has to have a bag for Christmas just like the rest of us. I got the last of the Ireland pictures ordered so tomorrow I can pick them up. I will be ready to make my Ireland album this coming weekend when I go on my scrap booking retreat. Ordering the pictures took forever. I took the time to put the pictures in chronological order, so I had to pull all the ones I put in regular photo albums out because I realized I had the stuff mixed up. In total I will have like 1300 pictures, yesterday I placed an order for 230 of them. When the Walmart site recommends loading only 40 at a time, it takes a while to upload them, crop them and then order. Its done!! Whoot.

Now I am off to sew the backing for one of the church quilts. I want to get quilting on it asap. I would like to have it and the other one done by Christmas so I can get them delivered. I will need to get stitching.

Toodles
Linda

This Weekend I Met a Miracle

This little farmer boy, cuddled up on my chest, snoozing away, content, happy, well fed, well loved, adored and oh so wanted, is a living breathing little miracle.

Because the woman who gave birth to him, searched her heart, knew she could not care for him, nor could the biological father. She decided to give him a the best she could in life, she made a selfless, heart breaking decision, she gave him to Miss Mouse and the Farmer. Well lets be serious, they gave him to our whole family. What a gift we got, what a get big, nothing else like it gift. Words are not big enough and grand enough to cover what they did for us, for him. Nothing covers it completely. Miracle is just the start.

He is doted on by his grandparents:

Every move, squeak and facial expression is watched, marveled at and documented:

He is the new core of this family and it does not matter one speck where he came from, he is ours.

precious, miraculous, sweet baby boy. Our best gift ever!!

Toodles,

Great Aunty Linda.