"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Christmas And Moles?

I just happened to be at our daughter and her family's' home when who should appear? Santa!
The youngest grandchild, Little J, was quite taken with Santa.
Three of the four children in the house were awake and got to sit on Santa's lap, but our oldest grandchild was fast asleep.Maybe he knows Santa can't leave the gifts until all the children are asleep. He was right too. Santa gave the children some candy and told them to get to bed so he could leave their gifts, then Santa was off ...
Little J runs to the window to see where Santa has gone.
On Christmas Day our daughter and her family came to our home to celebrate. My husband ( he kind of looks like Santa, doesn't he?) carved up the turkey, one of our home grown Midget Whites , made ready just the day before. Turkey and ham , mashed potatoes, coleslaw,won-ton soup ( you don't have won ton soup for your Christmas dinner?) lefse, and so many other yummy things to eat ! When it came time for the family to go next door to my husband's sister's home for dessert Little J had just fallen fast asleep. I stayed at home and kept the fire going while he slept, enjoying the quiet and watching our youngest grandchild. There is nothing as peaceful and tender as the sight of a sweetly sleeping child. Later on the rest of the family returned. We played games ( WII ) and ate more food. I got to cuddle my grandchildren , enjoy watching the family play together, laugh together, remember how much I appreciate all God's blessings, and not take for granted food, home, health, loved ones. ( pictured above, our daughter and her youngest daughter) Now for an announcement, Vickie of Sand Flat Farms* has won! She beat us in the Underground Varmint Termination Contest *!She whupped us big time!!!! Vickie trapped 25 groundhogs ( well, 26 if you count her cat Jasmine's kill) and my husband Jim only got a measly 10 moles. Even though there is another day to this year, I don't think our one trap will catch enough moles to beat Vickie. So CONGRATULATIONS Vickie, you have won a WHAC-A-MOLE Game ! I tried to find a Whac-a-Groundhog Game, but no luck. ( sigh ) So send me your snail mail address and this game will be yours . I say we should continue this challenge next year, goodness , the moles around here are plenty busy. I still think they are PLANNING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD *. Well, maybe just Cedar Pond!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Tea & Honey ~The Little Honey Escapade

The Little family's fireplace mantle is adorned with their usual Christmas decorations minus the Christmas stockings which are not hung until Christmas Eve. The Little family are enjoying their visit with the Bear family. Doesn't this appear to be a lovely, tranquil visit with dear friends? What the Little family do not know is that the Bear family knows it is hard to come by enough honey to satisfy a bear, and they love the Little's so much they decided to gift the Little family with honey enough for themselves and their guests, the Bear family. This would require some daring and courageous actions on their ( Bear's ) part. Papa Bear knows that the home he resides in is headed by a BEE-KEEPER* . Papa Bear counts himself very blessed to live in a miniature log cabin that sits in the very living room of the Bee-Keeper, and this Bee-Keeper has his cupboards full of the most delicious honey a bear could ever want for. Unlike a real bear though, Papa Bear is a Teddy Bear . He cannot just go push over a hive ( thankfully for the Bee-Keeper! ) and take his fill of honey. Papa Bear has to plan very carefully just how he will acquire his supply of the nectar of the bees. When Papa B. thinks the Bee-Keeper is asleep, he and his family make their way to the counter top just below the target cupboard. They climb atop the microwave just below the cupboard and Papa B. swings his furry paw into it and hangs on.Mama Bear and Baby Bear yell encouragement and offer further assistance, which Papa accepts gladly. Papa directs Mama and Baby to get behind the jar of honey and push it towards him so he can grab it and..wait, oh no,the Bee-Keepers' wife has spotted them. Gosh darn it. That lady never sleeps. What is she doing up at this hour? Now they're gonna get it.No honey for them or the Little's, they'll just be put in a drawer for who knows how long... WHAT? The Bee-Keepers' wife surprised them. She lifted the Bear family and the jar of honey out of the cupboard and placed them into the Littles' home. Imagine that. They heard her say "Merry Christmas" as she left them and their prize jar of honey there just in time for the party. Baby Bear and Tommy Little are amazed to see so much honey. Mmmmm, it smells so delicious and they want to scoop up handfuls ( paws full ) of it but Mama Bear and Mrs. Little tell them "NO! Not yet". Papa Bear and Mr. Little are happily discussing theology and just what the Bible has to say about bears as they sip their tea laced with the brandy ( only for special occasions you know ) Mr. Little had set aside especially for this occasion. You can see in this picture that Papa Bear is a bit too big to sit in any of the Little's chairs, so he finds a comfy corner out of the way to sit on the floor. He brings his own mug made of hollowed-out logs for beverages. Mrs. Little and Mrs. Bear are happily discussing the upcoming Christmas festivities and recipes for their Christmas cookie baking day on Wednesday.Mrs. Little has the cookie cutters out, and as the bread for the evening meal has just come out of the oven they will begin serving dinner to the rest of the family before they begin their party games. Mrs. Little is wrapping yet another Christmas gift while she chatters away with Mrs. Bear. Baby Bear and Tommy Little are frustrated. They cannot eat any honey, the desserts are off limits until after dinner, what are they to do? Grandpa Little is playing with Tommy's little sister...the kitten wants to play only with Tommy's rooster pull- toy. What can he and Baby Bear do? EXPLORE ! They climb the shelves in the china cupboard and find so many tea cups to peek into. They climb into this pretty teacup*, but it is too deep for Tommy. Baby Bear helps Tommy out . They go looking into other teacups. Baby Bear discovers this Flying Goose* teacup. He likes the way the lights shine through it and this teacup reminds him of the geese he sees flying overhead through the skylight in the BEE-KEEPERS' sun-room. Tommy Little finds he is able to get in and out of this teacup* easily and the wood-land scene looks just like Cedar Pond, right outside his window. He also likes the blue rim and the golden glow from this teacup that filters down into the bottom shelf of the china cupboard he lives in. After exploring all the china in the hutch Baby Bear and Tommy Little return to the bottom shelf of the china hutch hoping it is time to eat, but alas, it is not.Baby Bear and Tommy Little sigh and shake with anticipation as they wait for their parents to begin serving up treats, "Please, can we get this Christmas party started?" For more Tea-Time Tuesday and All Things Tea Blogs, please check out these ladies~

Sunday, December 19, 2010

It Must Be Getting Close To Christmas ~

The Christmas Village is up, and when evening sets in the lights of the village make it appear to be a living miniature town. Magical ! Must be getting close to Christmas.
Baking seems to occupy every bit of spare time, but the cold and rainy days outside cause the kitchen to call out to us.."come bake, be warm, and eat"! Must be getting close to Christmas .
My husband makes his traditional Berry Butternuts, something his father did, and still does, but with the many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren my dear Father-in-Law has, he cannot possibly bake these yummy cookies for everyone anymore, so it is a good thing his grown children continue this tradition. A yummy good thing~ Must be getting close to Christmas. I have already made several batches of lefse for two different occasions. For all my married life, 37 years and then some, I have made lefse for Christmas. Lefse is our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. I make it the night before , so all my Christmas Eves are spent making it, then cleaning the kitchen and setting the table , making sure there is butter to spread on the lefse, and also making sure there is a mixture of cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on it. Then the lefse is rolled up like a jelly roll and eaten. Hot coffee, rosettes, ( another Scandinavian treat ) and some cheese and fruit are all that is needed to complete this breakfast usually eaten after we open gifts and before we prepare for whatever else we will be doing Christmas Day. The lefse griddle is still out,ready for more use ~ as are the rolling pin and lefse turner...must be getting close to Christmas. "While lutefisk requires some getting used to, most people take an immediate liking to lefse, Norway's unleavened soft bread. Somewhat thinner than a commercially prepared tortilla, lefse rounds are also much larger and softer than the Mexican bread....While a great variety of lefse types exist in Norway, potato lefse dominates almost exclusively in the United States. Like lutefisk, lefse now serves as a badge of Norwegian ethnicity..." 'Keeping Christmas, Yuletide Traditions in Norway And The New Land' by Kathleen Stokker ~~~~ My Grandmother taught me how to make lefse many years ago, when I was a young girl and I am very thankful. I had no idea then of how precious this gift of teaching me how to make lefse was, but I know I need to teach this to my Grandchildren, just as I need to know and teach the real reason I celebrate Christmas. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David......" It must be getting close to Christmas!

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Little Family Plans a Party...Tea Time Tuesday

The Little family planned their upcoming Christmas party during tea time today. Grandpa Little and the children especially love tea time when there are sweets to be eaten with tea. The tiny tea set was purchased on one of our many trips to the Oregon Coast. We knew the Littles' would appreciate it.
The Little family live on the bottom shelf of the china hutch in our dining room. You can see the hutch in the back right of this picture.
Mr. Little thinks they need to make sure there is plenty of honey on hand at the Christmas party because after all, they are inviting the Bear family. The Bear family live in the miniature log cabin that sits atop the dining room armoire, and we all know it is very good policy to make the bears at your party happy. The Little children enjoy playing with Baby Bear, and they like sweets as much as he does. They all love to wrestle and play with Grandpa Little and secretly suspect he is Santa Claus. Look at how detailed this tea set is. The rim of the creamer is scalloped. There is a tag underneath the tray that says "MADE IN THAILAND". Every bit of this tea set is so perfect, the little handles could actually be held by tiny fingers, the coffee pot can pour liquid through it's spout. Here you can see the hutch , the Little's home, reflected in the mirror.Please join us next Tuesday for the Christmas party with the Bears' and the Littles'. I hope there is honey... To see more Tea Time Tuesday participants, and probably a lot of Christmas decorating and treats, please click onto the links below~ and enjoy!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Surprises For Me! Tea Time Tuesday

Don't you love GOOD surprises? Unexpected gifts in the mail are GOOD surprises!
I received this elegantly beautiful teacup from LindaSue of Buhl-a-land*, The cup and saucer are made by Royal Grafton, the pattern is 'Majestic'. I think the name fits, the color is a rich red embellished by gold, on white. Perfect especially for the Christmas season~
LindaSue writes a delightful blog about the life she shares with her beloved husband and their animals in Texas. She says life is always good on Buhl-a-Land* because of God's abundant blessings! Another gift arriving by mail is a lovely miniature of 'The Old North Church' , made for the New England Village Series, in 1988. I received it from Mildred at Mildred's Photo For The Day* , and it is very special as it once belonged to her beloved Mother. Mildred knew I would appreciate it after reading another Tea Time Tuesday post in which I featured this church on one of my teacups. You can click here to read it, Liberty Blue Tea Time*. Mildred is a very special and sweet lady who shares her life with her beloved husband , 3 cats, and Harriet...although Harriet is a dog, she is not JUST a dog. You have to read Mildred's blog to know a bit about Harriet! They live in a beautiful home called The Circle Of Love. I made an Oslo Kringle (recipe here*) and had a few pieces with my tea while I thought about the Christmas decorating and gift wrapping. I really do like this time of year. Oslo Kringle is very easy to make, especially if you need a quick and tasty treat to serve unexpected guests. The candy kisses and sprinkles are optional, but so festive, don't you think? Thank-you Mildred and LindaSue, for your thoughtful gifts AND especially your friendship!
To read more wonderful tea time blogs please stop in a visit these ladies~
"There is a mystery to the ways of friendship. Even when two people are willing, friendship doesn't always blossom. Still, when we see a door to friendship open with someone who is already in our lives, we miss by not stepping through. After all, finding a friend is like discovering a treasure. Finding a friend in someone you already love is like finding a treasure in the rafters of your own attic-one of life's most joyful surprises." Emilie Barnes 'The Twelve Teas Of Friendship'

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Snow ~ Beautiful Snow

"A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together." Author Unknown
"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found? J.B. Priestly
"Praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word." Psalm 148:7,8

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thanksgiving With Some of My Favorite People and Dogs

Thanksgiving was celebrated over the mountains and through the woods, 6 and 1/2 hours away with our oldest son and his 4 daughters, pictured above.
My beloved Beatrix was with us...
..as was my husband's dog Hawk. We had a wonderful time of family, food, and fellowship ~ and LOTS of snow! "As the season turns toward December , we are settling in. The woodpile high, the freezer filled, heaters ready to be lit,snow tires on - we can face the world with a smile." Gladys Taber Now, on to December and the hustle and bustle of Christmas!