And a Very Happy New Year too

The clock is ticking down to the last second of 2012 and onward we go, rushing toward the total unknown of 2013.  Will it be a good year.  Well, it will be interesting for sure.  I'm reminded of an ancient Chinese curse which goes something like this "May you live in interesting times".  We certainly do.  We dodged the end of the world bullet...of course.  We'll dodge it again - no doubt.  It's inevitable in these times of uncertainty and paranoia that blanket the world.  The US is trying to dodge it's fiscal cliff while the rest of us wait to see if we will be dragged yet again into their mess. 

And meanwhile, I knit endlessly on this gigantic afghan I've committed myself to, and which I thought would be finished and fringed by now.  Endless rows of garter stitch, six rows of a colour.  They are gorgeous colours, mind you, a joy to look at. Good thing!  I check the basket to see if the supplies of wool are going down.  Well, they are, but I'm not at the finish line yet.  Soon I hope.
Today, on this last day of the year, the sun is shining on my little world, making the snow sparkle like faerie dust has been sprinkled over it.  A Chinook is upon us and has warmed  the temperature to a balmy zero degrees.  Yippee.    
Our Christmas celebrations full of family, opening presents - boys playing endless games on X-box, watching movies,  stuffing ourselves with big meals, mulling wine for our Boxing day open house and filling the house with the scents of spice, candle wax, pine and turkey roasting.  It was three busy days of preparation and festivities and by the 27th, I was more than ready to spend much of my day in bed or on the chesterfield, wrapped in a blanket in the company of a good book.   Even Libby was quiet, ready to snooze away the day in a dark corner.
 So, today I acknowledge the passing of this, funny, strange 2012 year with a walk by the river, a good movie with perhaps a split of champagne to share at the magic moment when the clock turns over.  

A Very Merry Christmas to All

It is Christmas Eve.  Outside the snow is gently falling...very small flakes, not the giant flakes that make my heart sing, but, flakes nevertheless.  I am having a quiet moment here with a cup of tea and a shortbread cookie.  One boy is at the gym buffing up,  the other one is playing a video game in his room and number one son is wrapping prezzies downstairs.  The house is calm.  Libby is napping. The stocking are hung.  No chimney, but they are taking pride of place on the bannister.
I am so proud of these two grandchildren I am blessed with, these two young men.  It is a joy to have them around even for a short time. 

Arn't these snowmen great?  When I owned the shop, we used to make these darlings in Knitting Class.
I have the pattern,.  If anyone wants to make them for next year, drop me a note and I'll get the pattern to you.
And the cookies....this year I'm sticking with tradition, partly because the autumn hasn't been the best for me healthwise, and partly because I'm nostalgic.  So, Swedish Pastry, my mother's shortbread cookies, fudge cake, and apple strudel are on the sweets menu.  Tomorrow out will come the "magic" turkey pan inherited from my dear mum and in will go the turkey stuffed with wild and long grain rice.
A very Merry Christmas from all of us in our house - Patty, Scott, Alex, Nik, Libby and Bella the bunny to all of you.  May the coming year be all you want it to be and more.

Musings on the first day of Winter

 It is officially winter.  We celebrate the solstice today.  But really, in my small part of the world, winter came in October this year, much to libby's delight, and even with the odd chinook to warm things up, the snow has stayed in the back yard, packed down and hard, but great for playing games of "catch the snowball". 

It is a black and white world - winter.  Bare branches point at the pastel sky.   Pine scents the crisp air.  Snow crunches beneath my boots.   A few brave birds sing loud to keep themselves warm but it is a restful time in the woods now.  Sounds travel for miles in this weather.  The woody paths belong to the dogs and their owners now.  Gone for the season are the bikers, skateboarders, and joggers. 

 I was sitting in the lineup waiting for my turn in the carwash yesterday, watching grey, muddy car after grey muddy car go in, and come out the other end red, or blue, or silver, or even black.   Spa day at the car wash.  Winter roads are hard on cars here.

Today is the longest night and shortest day of the year.  It will be dark by 4:30 this afternoon and not light again until about 8:30 tomorrow morning.  Hooray for Christmas lights.  They add cheeriness and pizzazz to the dark.  It's fun to drive around the neighbourhood and see houses lit up from chimney to foundation in coloured lights.  The lawn and garden guys turn themselves into Christmas light installers, and snow removal experts this time of year.  It adds another entire season to their repetoire - very clever of them.

This weekend the kitchen will be busy as we get cookies, cakes and goodies made for Christmas eating.  It's a good time of year.

inspiration and creativity

Creativity and inspiration are amazing things.  Sometimes the flow is just...there.  Other times it seems like a gigantic cement block is standing in the way and no there is no way to get round it.   This is the week before the week before Christmas and I am into list making big time.  Without the lists, I would be lost in the swirl of trying to accomplish things, with no clear idea of how to go about anything. 
so, here is some of the list for what it is worth - buy the Christmas tree - this is a big one.  The tree lots are up and the loud speakers are pumping out Christmas music, hoping to entice and inspire people to pick out their trees, strap them to the tops of their cars, and take them home to decorate.  Last year we went tree shopping in a mini snow storm.  It was magical walking through the mini forest of evergreens while the snow swirled around us.  Reality set in though when we had to choose, and then pay the price, which was rather shocking.
Still, it was a lovely tree and took pride of place in the newly painted livingroom.   So, tree shopping has to be at the top of the list this week.

- finish Christmas shopping.  Ah...here is where I desperately need inspiration, and here is where the cement block is looming, big time.  Maybe inspiration with strike like this rainbow...but I doubt it.  More likely I will slog through the shops searching in vain for just the right thing, the inspired thing.   Actually, with the boys, I probably will take the  cheque-in-the-card route, which might not be such a bad solution.
- plan the food and start the baking.   I've decided this year to stick with the tried and true, and tradition.  There will be shortbread cookies - a must.  There will be mince tarts - because I like them.  There will be Christmas cake, not made by me this year but still good.  There will be chocolate because life just isn't good without chocolate.  

I've been watching Christmas themed moves the past couple of days while I rest my poor foot which is still healing from surgery.  Last night it was "Love Actually".  Here is the message - Christmas is about love and honesty, and family.  The rest is just window dressing.  Good to remember and be inspired by.

collectables

Rooting around in the storage boxes I came up with these treasures.  Squeezers, slicers, pulpers and pressers, all vintage and before electric gadgets took over the modern kitchen.  I think I understand and appreciate the garlic masher, and the egg slicer, but for the love of me I can't figure out what would be inserted in the presser to have the living daylights squeezed out of it.  Could be fruit perhaps being given this treatment.  These are the times I wish my mother were here to tell me the story behind this stuff.  These were implements that came out of her kitchen, went into the box and have been resting there, long forgotten, until I opened it in a quest for something else entirely - which I didn't find by the way.
The egg quarterer is actually quite ingeneous I think.  Hard boiled egg is inserted into the cup, and the wire pressed down to quarter the egg.  Brilliant!  And the garlic and onion chopper - so handy.  I actually think I will put these two gadgets back in use.  Just wish I could think what to do with the squeezer thing.  Any ideas?  Anybody?

 I also found my mother's flour sifter which is a lovely old contraption with a crank handle and was just the thing for sifting together the dry ingredients for baking powder biscuits on on a snowy grey day. 

Inspiration and laughing out loud

I am enchanted and inspired by

Jack frost and fresh snow on the branches.

I am enchanted by

The absolute joy Libby finds in snow. 
And I am enchanted and amused by

the snow shovel ballet.  How great is that!

finally!

We are painting the downstairs - the main room and the downstairs bathroom.  It's hard to believe we have been in our little Calgary house almost two years.  And here comes Christmas and company on the horizon.
So, it was off to the paint store to pick colours, and buy paint.  It is lovely to have a professional painter in the family. I must say. 
The main room is now "flash point"  I really think that should have an explanation mark behind it, don't you - "Flash Point!" - and really shows off the wall of books in their black wood bookcases.

The trim is white and does it ever look sharp.

Bella the wonderful bunny decided to take on the job of sidewalk superintendent.  He and the painter had to have a serious chat about the progress of the work.

The downstairs bathroom is being transformed by this lovely colour - name of "mecca".  The colour was chosen to match a pair of vintage stylized happy fish inherited from Scott's grandmother.  They will take pride of place once things dry. 
Next stop - the material store to buy curtain material.  Its a start - a good start.

Hippos and Elephants

I can't believe what a bad cold I have at the moment.  This combined with foot surgery to remove an embedded needle a week ago, and the amazing snow storm we just enjoyed here in Calgary, have turned me into a prisoner of my house.
So...what's a girl to do but disappear into the studio and...well,...create these.

I did some serious stitching.  The inspiration was this.  I have to warn you though - it's an ear worm.  Once this song gets into your head, it is so, so difficult to get back out.  You'll be humming it for days.
The song was recorded in 1953 by a 10 year old singer named Gayla Peevey from the US. 
Both the darling little Hippo and his pal the Elephant are available on my ETSY shop, along with the 4 other ornaments I created this fall - You can see them here 
About the needle - I drove that into the sole of my foot sometime in the summer, when it was hot and I was roaming around the house barefoot.  That will teach me  At any rate, the healing has begun.  Once the stitches are out, I'll be good as new, hopefully.
Today it looks like fairyland outside.  The sky is bright blue, snow sits in the big fir trees out my window looking for all the world like a staged post card .  It's gorgeous but very cold today.

We had put the aging jack o lantern out on the back deck to stand guard.  He looks like the grinch doesn't he.  Brrrrr.  Libby the border collie, on the other hand, thinks the snow fell especially for her.  She is having a love affair with it and the best game in the world is chasing snowballs in the back garden.  Since walking is difficult, snowball throwing exercises us both.   

Pumpkin high jinks

First you get a pumpkin - orange preferably, and on the biggish side.

Materials are assembled by the artist.  Newspaper to cover the table, pens to outline the design, sharp knives to cut with.

The top is removed and the design started.

Seeds scooped out and saved for roasting

Careful thought given to a face, after all a serious jack-o-lantern should be fairly scary.

And should have personality too. 

Nearly ready to go to work now

And here is the former pumpkin, now a truly scary Jack O" Lantern to put on the front step and light the way to the door.

, 

A Closer View

I have been looking at the world through my macro lens this past while, and what goes better with taking pictures, than a steaming cup of tea, and what goes best with a steaming cup of tea - Chocolate!
A challenge came from a photographer pal to pick a passion and do a photo shoot.  Her passion is chocolate.  Now, I love chocolate too, but I also love colour, and fibre.  So I combed through my fibre stash and picked out some, set up my mini photo studio and had some fun.
Once I started looking at things a different way, the shiny cranberries in the colander caught my eye too.

The Lily bouquet was next to jump in front of the lens.  It's fun to look at flowers from a bee's point of view

I have been working hard these days, completing the set of ornaments for my ETSY shop.  I'm added two more critters to the menagerie.  Do you remember the song "I want a Hippopotomus for Christmas"?  Well, here comes a darling little hippo to hang with your ornaments, and an Elephant too, all decked out in beads.
I'll have photos in a couple of days, as soon as they are stitched up and stuffed.