December festivities, fruitcake and yard project

December is here and with it some cooler weather, beautiful sunny days and temps in the low to mid-60's. Just perfect weather for addressing a glaring issue with our xeriscape yard, particularly the side yard. 

After almost 10 years, and with minimal maintenance beyond pulling up a weed or 2 and picking up palm tree fronds/debris it's beginning to look a lot shabbier than I like. I need to take it all the way down to the landscape fabric, parse out the dirt and leaf litter then rinse the mud off the rocks before putting them back in place. Rinse & Repeat! I actually find it very soothing and zen-like sitting there (outside! 😊) picking out the rocks from the dirt - am I nutz? I'm sure some of my neighbors think so, although the finished product is causing them to re-evaluate the time I'm  spending. For my part, as a perfectionist, it's instant gratification, which leads to a dopamine hit or 10, Haha. I'm very thankful to have a handy "reheat" to serve for dinner after spending the day rocking it.

I'm making good headway and when finished, a leaf blower used
with some regularity should keep it looking neat and tidy for
another 10 years (or well into my dotage I hope).

One of my neighborhood ladies organized a Christmas Cookie Exchange for our small 100+ neighborhood. I had never participated in one and didn't know what to expect. What a great time, about 16+ ladies came laden with yummy baked goods to share. Our hostess provided us each with a pretty take-home tray and let us have at it. We each made a trip around the table and picked out a few from each plate, and then again etc until we were filled to the brim with tasty goodies to take home. She also had hot cider, decaf coffee and wine, plus a sumptuous charcuterie array. It was so nice to see everyone and get caught up on things.

The hostess with the "mostest" and her tray.

Next year the extra leaf goes in the table!

What a great group of lady neighbors I've got!

These treats have made our hot tea after dinner indulgence special. Put me down for attending next year, lol.

On the cooking front around here I perfected a recipe for Ginger Snaps that we both love. Super easy, both the raw dough and the baked cookies freeze well. Here's the link to the recipe on allrecipes.com. The only changes I made was to double the spices and add finely chopped candied ginger and chopped pecans. I think these are our new favorites. I also was under the gun to get the fruitcake made so it would have a few weeks to mellow.

 And on the puzzling front I finished up Pickle Lake, one of my favorites.

Thanks for stopping by and come back again soon. In the meantime, enjoy the Holiday season in all it's glory. A Savior is Born.

Weather patterns, reading, cooking and sewing

These past few weeks haven't been much out of the ordinary, this tends to be the "nesting" season for us. Reading, reading, crafting, eating.

I've been thinking about the weather pattern lately and it's getting a chuckle (from me) but I'm hearing a *sigh* (from them, those folks who work). Beautiful and sunny, highs in the mid to high 70's Monday through Friday at which point it changes to gloomy, rainy and not so nice. By the end of the weekend it starts getting better. 

Arrgh - I remember getting so frustrated when this occurred during the time when we were working, and could only get out on the boat on weekends. Maybe we'll get a longer spell of glorious to push the dreary out to Monday or Tuesday. Don't give up workerbees! 😊

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I'm going to spend a minute off topic here to have a little show and tell about my Uncle Joe, a wonderful artist who was an oil painter, married to my father's sister, Betty, a favorite Aunt of mine. 

Aunt Betty and Uncle Joe lived in a beautiful spot in rural north central Maryland. Uncle Joe had his own studio in which he spent hours painting every little blade of grass in his historically-oriented paintings, and hand-making all his own picture frames out of old barn wood, then distressing them accordingly. I was fascinated watching him work and greatly admired him. There was a calendar company who used his artwork for their monthly pictures. 

I have a few of his paintings and I enjoy seeing them hanging on my walls. I thought I'd show you a few. The extraordinary detail is, unfortunately, only seen up close.

 "Marker's Mill near Mayberry"

"Engler's Mill - 1845"

"Mt. Lofty Homestead - 1796"

Memorial Statue of General K. Warren
on Little Round Top @Gettysburg

I didn't get to spend much time with my Aunt and Uncle nor my relatives in Maryland in general, but I always remember my Uncle's big walrus mustache and the twinkle in his eye. And my Aunt, well she was the fun Aunt. 😊

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We ate the last of the fruitcake a week ago and as I still had a half container of the candied fruit peel and plenty of pecans & raisins left, I decided to make another one - YAY. Turned out pretty and is busy getting mellowed with bourbon for the next few weeks.

In the other fun things department, I found a very cool, 3-tiered rustic plant stand which folds flat for storage during the off season. A thrifty thrift purchase for $5.99. Combine that with my overstock of silk flowers and you've got some nice decorations for the deck.

Neat bargain & 2 new floral arrangements

Found some really pretty florals out & about on the cheap.
I love how this one turned out, so cheery.

Still having fun with the trivets and the puff quilt. A couple of new trivets to show but still too far off for the quilt's photo-op.

Homage to Valentine's Day and matters of the heart. 

A bit of an Irish Triskelion flavor

When you end up buying a big sack of potatoes and are getting desperate to use them all, just make up a nice pan of scalloped potatoes. They freeze and reheat very well and make a sumptuous side for a grilled steak or chop.

If you're not familiar with the Greg Hurwitz 'Orphan X'
series you're missing out on a wild ride and a cool hero.

 Well, thanks for stopping by. Hope you are doing well wherever you are, and feel free to drop in again.