Two Snow Days for the Teacher.... A Seasonal Thing

Ok, you gotta know the teacher loves the snow days as much as the kids. Got the call at 5:30 am, but the dogs had already gotten me up at  5:00 am, the usual time to go outside and then  eat. So, after two cups of wonderful vanilla caramel coffee, and two hours on the computer, we were all ready to go back to bed. The dogs sleep on this old loveseat and keep one eye on me while I am on the computer.

As soon as I said, "Let's go back to bed," they were ready. I like agreeable companions. In order left to right, Tilly, Oscar, and Roxy.

I stayed in my pj's until 2:00 pm! But I did get a lot done. I played wtih dishes and made a list of what I need for some different table settings. I did lots of  laundry AND put it away. (yes I did, Mama)

The only reason I got dressed was because, I must admit, I have a hard tiime staying home all day in the winter. I think it is something about not supposed to be out on the streets, and I just have to get out and try it. But first a walk around the back yard.

In the summer when I can work in the yard all day, I don't leave the place for a couple of days at a time. Oh, summer......  

So, after getting dressed, I drove over to Mama's house, and filled her bird feeders for her. Then I went to BB&B, Pier One, and Michael's, as they are all lined up in a row. I didn't buy a thing! Oh, well, I tried.

Today is ANOTHER snow day.... really? Up at the usual 5:00 am, etc. Checked the library online to see if any books I am waiting on are in yet, of course not.  I have some good cranberry orange bread just out of  the breadmaker, smelling good.

A walk outside to see if there is anything new.

Looks like we got about 8-9 inches of snow total.

Tilly's path is about covered over.

I have already called a teacher friend to see if we should go to an antique store today. I could scrub floors, clean the basement, or something else boring...... naaaahhhh.

Milk Glass and Blue

I change out my hutch for Christmas, Halloween, and green spring/summer and blue winter. I am glad to have the  rich, full Christmas things put away, and simple milk glass and some blue to look at.

I have picked up all my milk glass at garage sales, antique stores  and  thrift stores. It has always been really cheap, until Eddie Ross declared it to be wonderful, now the antique stores are putting big prices on it!

This cake stand looks pretty good with a big chocolate cake on it! (of course a big chocolate cake looks good on a paper plate!)

I am joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday.

A Simple Birthday Tablescape

Daughter #1 has a birhday during the holidays, and I think all of us were ready for clean and simple. Her birthday tablescape featured her favorite chocolate cake, and I took many of her birthday photos from when she was little and put them in  silver photo frames around the cake. It brought back many memories for all of us, and quite a few laughs.

Yikes!!! She's 29, that makes me OLD!

Happy Birthyday, A!

I am joining Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

/http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Books Read in December

I have read fewer books this month than usual , but there are two holiday books that I must recommend. Even though the Christmas season is quickly coming to a close, these two books are worth the late read, or put them on your list for next November to get yourself in the holiday spirit.



By Jennifer Chiaverini, this story is about Elm Creek Manor, a mansion in Pennsylvania. Chiaverini takes the reader through the antebellum era, the Great Depression, World War II with her added love and knowledge of quilting. The main character, Sylvia is coping with the modern problem of family dispersed, estranged, or even forgotten,  and reconciliation with her personal history proves interesting for the reader. I am not a quilter, but the story was very captivating even so. A good Christmas read.

This book is a great, fun read. Light and quirkly characters are introduced throughout this story as a man takes a train trip from the east coast to west right before Christmas. He is a writer who has been thrown off the airlines, and must use Amtrak . He discovers many different people on this trip and the reader laughs along with him as he decides he has an article waiting to be written about all the passengers on the train.

Real Mincemeat Pie- A recipe

For the first time, I am joining Foodie Friday, from Designs by Gollum. Please link back to this button to see many other great recipes. http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com/.

There are three Christmas foods I have fond memories of from childhood.  Long before Christmas, Mama would start making a fruitcake. Daddy took over when it was done and in the tin. He would pour something over it, and Mama would stand there and giggle and squeal " Too much!!! Too much!!!" Yep, I think that fruitcake was pretty well preserved. Even so, I ate fruitcake since I was very small, and I still admit to liking it, despite all the doorstop jokes.

Mom made bourbon balls just for Daddy. They sat in a beautiful covered candy dish on the coffee table. I WANTED to like them. After all, it was CHOCOLATE!!! But every time I lifted the lid on that candy dish, and the aroma of that bourbon wafted into the air, I slammed the lid down. I have not had bourbon balls in years, I bet I would like them now!

The best, best Christmas thing Mama made was real mincemeat pie. She and Grandma would get together and make the pies before Christmas. I loved those times.  In later years, I watched and wrote down the recipe, because mincemeat pies were one of those things that they had no recipe for, they just made them. When they were all still on the farm, Grandma made up  metal dishpans full of mincemeat. They canned whatever they did not use at the time. The only thing they needed to buy was flour, sugar, and oranges. Everything else they grew on the farm. Plenty of beef, an orchard of apples, and a vineyard. Grandpa made homemade wine, a sweet concord wine. Grandpa was first generation English, and Grandma first generation German. I don't know whose family had the tradition of mincemeat pies, probably the English side.


This year Mama and I made mincemeat pies again. We have customized the origional recipe over the last 20 years, because we don't make the mincemeat from scratch anymore.  Here are a few pictures and the recipe.

Mincemeat Pie

Makes 1 deep dish pie and 1 regular pie

3 cups of beef roast, cooked and chopped finely ( I do a chuck roast in the crockpot)

Peel from  1 and 1/2 oranges
1/2 orange, diced

2 cups raisins

1 apple, diced finely

2 cups of Mogan David concord wine ( no fancy wine, you need Mad Dog, the sweet, cheap stuff)

1 jar (1 lb) of mincemeat

crusts for 2 pies

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl, and combine. Fill pie crusts with this mixture. Make sure you have steam holes in the top crust. Bake at 375 degrees for  45 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned.                 

Adding the finely chopped roast.

Didn't Mama make a pretty poinsettia on top?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!