Update from the North Pole…

Okay- I’m not really in the North Pole…but I could be! It’s finally turned cold and wet and rainy here, I’m ensconced in a make-shift Santa’s Workshop (churning out presents by the dozens! erm, no, not precisely…but I did get two bags done yesterday…), there’s a Tree in the house (said the cat, with extreme doubt in her big round eyes), carols at the spinnet, cookie lists being drawn up, and cards being folded and addressed by late night T.V. Speaking of lists- it’s time for the Christmas Musings:

- I went Christmas Shopping Monday- first time all year, and it was T.E.R.R.I.B..L.E! The stores were thoroughly turned over, as if they were the victims of a burglary. With all the traffic (even at 9 am!) it was astounding how many people were inside the shops, too. I haven’t done much store shopping in years, but I waited too long to use my trusty old standby (Amazon- hi guys!) and had to brave the crowds. Oh my…

-I made our Christmas Cards this year, and am sooo proud of myself for doing so! I’ve wanted to do this for simply years, and finally just sat down a few weeks ago and got out my paints and went at it. Very soothing, very simple, and very effective(if I do say so myself!). Who cares if they don’t look perfect? It’s homemade!

- I’m making most of the family gifts this year, but kept it simple (I‘m sensing a theme here), focusing on things I’m currently making in my crafting- bags, purses, aprons, napkins, etc. It’s keeping me sane, and happy (cause I just like to make things, ya know?) and keeping costs down, yaay!

- Christmas Ornaments can be a source of stress for me (perfectionism, and obsessive-assembly-line-production anyone?), so Ive cut way down and focused on easy things, with only one “big” ornament. Cornstarch dough circles, paper snowflakes, and gilded walnut-shells are pretty and effective, while my Tree Faeries are spectacular and relatively simple.

- I’ve decorated the house simply, too: bowls of greenery trimmed from the actual tree, battery candle and dried roses from my stash. And so far the Tree only has some tiny round lights on it, but it’s so pretty!  Simple. Done. Love it!

- and last, but never least- the Cookies. Every year I try something new, but this year we need a few of our favorites on the table: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Frosted Sugar Cookies, and Pecan Snowballs. Okay, maybe I can fit in some Coconut Shortbread, and maybe a pan of brownies wouldn’t be out of line…

Ahhh, nothing says Christmas like a seriously over-loaded To-Do List and a Sugar-Overload…am I right? Hey you Faeries get outta that powdered sugar! No, it does not look like Santa tracks! It’s gonna look like an ant trail…

Spring Reading

We use our Public and County Libraries a lot in this bookish little family of mine- so much so that sometimes it can get a bit overwhelming. Ahem. (they let you check out so many! And it’s free! what’s one more? picture me hidden behind the stack of books in my arms…) So lately I’ve given myself a 3-book maximum rule: One for research, one to read, one for fun. It works out pretty good, too- two libraries, once a week or two, 6 books. More if my husband brings something good home. It can overlap though- right now I’ve got 7 books to post on the reading list to the right over there (they are going back this weekend) to be replaced by the 6 I picked up last night (holds that came in midweek are too tempting to leave at the library!). I’ll order books I see in the bookstores, or titles I find recommended in my blog reading online. With so many titles lying around I thought I’d round them up and make a list!

Julie Czerneda’s A Turn of Light- This is so good! Wishing Magic, with invisible Dragons, armored House Toads, traveling Gypsies, and pie…all against a backdrop of Frontier Homesteading and Doorways to the Otherside. Yummy.

Marie Brennan’s A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent- Alternative Victorian fanciful piece with Dragons  of all sorts, a tragic love story, Russian folklore, and even a  bit of amateur sleuthing? It was read in a mere 4 days- worth every second of lost sleep!

Mark Alan Hewitt’s Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms- Lovely pictures and line drawing of the houses, furniture and landscapes of the Arts and Crafts movement, some background info of how it came to be, and an in-depth look at the attempt of one man to create a Utopian community.

Michelle Obama’s American Grown; The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America- I’m enjoying this for all the information and background on kitchen gardens, the White House Gardens in general, and the impact food has on our health and well-being.

Bob Thomson’s The New Victory Garden- Love this one! Broken down by month, with colour pictures and beautiful line drawings, this is a gold mine of gardening information, with a little bit of personal history that keeps it from being a dry text book.

Gladys Taber’s The Book of Stillmeadow- A personal account from the 1930’s of running away to live in the country. Susan Branch quotes her constantly in her books and artwork, so I wanted to see what she has to offer. Lovely anecdotal and lyrical writing, and bits are truly funny- she has a ton more that I might check out too.

Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone- A really big, heavy book (not convenient for reading in bed) with lots of really good ideas, some simple, some rather complex looking. Why do these vegetarian books always work out to be behemoths? Vast encyclopedic monstrosities with every single recipe the author can think of, very few (if any) pictures, and rather a lot more commentary and “instruction” than I want to wade through. I am finding ideas, but it’s taking forever to get through it, and I get bored every other page. Very disappointing really. 

So there you have it- some research, some reading, some fun (some not so fun…but necessary). What can I say?

I love to read.

And now for something completely different…

Ah, the joys of crafting.

Um… I’m in the middle of a project that is quite, well-

Overwhelming, to say the least. This is the Watercolours Quilt that I started a year and eight months ago. Seriously- what is taking me so long? Well, it’s getting finished this week. I am hand tying it, which partly explains why it’s taking so long. And also why posting has slowed down. Just in case you can’t tell just how much fabric is in there:

I have a loong ways to go, but I’ve already started picking out fabrics for my next one! Glutton for punishment? Or just plain crazy? No- just finally figuring out the right way to make a quilt (and it’s not been the way I’ve been doing it, silly me. Wish I’d read more books before I’d started this one! Or at least made it smaller…)

Do we have time for a quick list? I think so- here’s what this March has looked like so far:

• Hiking in Mission Trails Park- beautiful scenery, only a few sunburns.
• LOTS of handsewing of the quilting and finishing of garments variety.
• Our lovely pink scheme in the garden is working out just beautifully.
• Some new veggie recipes- leeks, zucchini, asparagus and champ (love! where has this been all my life?!)
• A little house shaking up as well- lots of closets turned out and reorganized, piles taken to the thrift store, new shelves built, furniture moved around. It’s been wonderful to get a new energy flow going around here…

Lovely March- Spring came early to our corner of the world. Lots of sunny days, light breezes, and a few rain-and-hail storms thrown in for good measure. I’ll be back next week with more updates from the Workshop!

The Science of Writing

Oh dear- another week has gone by without a new update from the Land of Market Day…drat. I have gotten into a bit of a writing slump, as you cans see for yourself, so I am taking the very good advice my husband gave me, and am writing about…not that. I’d like to write about Other Things at the moment (which, truth to tell, is working wonderfully- I’m sketching out another story idea in the background as I write this little missive. Yaay it worked! Block fixed, moving on…)

How is your Spring going? Ours is a tiny bit…wet, at the moment. The newest addition to the garden has been pummeled to smithereens in the latest rainfall, so I can’t really show you glorious pictures. But I can give an update- I brought home the start of this years’ New Design this week; a beautiful deep pink Ranunculus, a pretty little pixie of a pink and white Primrose (sensing anything yet?), a sweet pale pink Ivy Geranium, and a light lavender Stock. Yes- this year I am going for it with a pink, purple and chartreuse color palette (that’s if I can find anything Chartreuse!) I already freshened my stock of herbs with  new Thyme, Apple Mint, and Tarragon plants- which are living in the kitchen until it warms up a bit more (I’ve already had to trim the Thyme a bit- it loves the sunshine coming through the window in there!) I wanted a fresh and frilly little flower garden feel this spring, and it’s already looking quite lovely out there. I’ll have to get some pictures to show soon…

Next up is an update on the sewing I’ve been doing lately. Oh! It’s so nice to be able to work out a creators block, isn’t it? I’ve finally made a new pin cushion, which is something I’ve wanted to do for years now, but never seemed to get around to doing. Well, it’s done! Just a nice big round pouff with a bit of embroidery and shaping, stuffed to the brim and weighted with raw rice, with a dainty little strap. Voila! Perfection, if I do say so myself. The other thing I’ve been working on is taking patterns from existing clothing. It’s a bit tricky, complicated at times, and really hard- but totally worth it, and fun! I’m about finished with the first one, and already have the fabric for a second, and plans for a third. I love figuring out how to do things, doing research and having the time to rip out stiches if I need to. ahem. And I find it interesting how many different ways there are of explaining the same technique for applying a placket to a shirt…

One note about the blog itself- it has come to my attention that I have rather…a lot of categories. Err, they have gotten out of hand, and are making it a bit of a nuisance to find an appropriate one when I go to label my posts. grrr. Aggravating, to say the least. I’ve tried before to shorten the list, with mixed success, but I think what I ought to do is re-categorize the existing posts. Ick. Not looking forward to that, but something needs to be done…

So! No pictures, lots of words, and no story. Hmm…It’s starting to look a little like a blog around here, non? We’ll have to see what we can do to spruce things up around here, the miss and I. Although, I could just give the Faeries free reign…

The library

Samantha’s day started with a stop at the library. Situated in a mulberry tree, it rose above the forest floor twelve full stories high. A twisting, spiraling staircase filled the entire chamber, with each floor branching off at each tree limb. Hollowed out briefly, bookcases filled each alcove, with desks, tables and chairs placed about by windows and hallways for readers and researchers alike. As she arrived in the vestibule and hung her cloak on a hook she took out her list and noticed Dimity flitting about levels above, shelving books.

“Samantha!” she exclaimed, coming to a brief halt on the windowsill beside her. “How are you today? What can I help you with?” Dimity fluffed and settled her feathers down and hopped down onto the floor. Taking a stack of books out of the satchel on her back, she set them down on the great oak desk that filled the entrance hall. Samantha handed her the list. “I was hoping to get these delivered before the Big Storm rolls in next week.” Dimity gave the list a brief perusal before looking back at Samantha. “Oh, of course, no problem!” she reached into a cubby built into the desk for a book basket. “If you can wait a few minutes, I can get them for you now?” Samantha shook her head regretfully. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time today. I’m due down at the nursery this morning to help with the Spring Cleaning.” Dimity put the basket back and instead rung a little bell hanging from a hook set into the wall behind the desk. “That’s alright” she said, “I can have Archimedes deliver them to you.” As she spoke, a little brown and cream sparrow zoomed into the vestibule, and landed atop the giant desk. “Yes ma’am, at your service ma’am!” he chirped. His bright black eyes took in the two ladies and sparkled with curiosity. “Do you have a delivery for me to make Miss D?” he asked brightly. Samantha smothered a laugh as Dimity sighed slightly. Archimedes was very fond of flying just as fast as he could, as often as he could, and gave no never-mind to things like protocol- or scratched desks.

Milo’s Wine Cellar

Milo is the proprietor of the wine cellar- a real cellar deep under the roots of the village oak tree. A wooden staircase winds its way underneath the cheese shop at ground level, opening into the wine cellar below. A medium size space with rounded walls lined in wooden casks, shelves, urns and bottles, surmounted at the back of the room by an oak bar surrounded by chairs.

“Ladies- what can I get for you this fine morning?” Milo turned from arranging bottles on a small shelf by the bar and wiped his paws on his spotless apron. Cecily and Aubry set about unwinding themselves from their scarves while Cally dug out her shopping list. “I’m in need of a bottle of white spirits, Milo- something suitable for making lavender and rose water?” Milo’s eyebrows shot up to his brow in surprise, then he smiled briefly and pulled a good sized clear bottle from the shelves. ”And for you Cecily?” he asked- although he had a pretty good idea of what was to come next. “I’m running low on vanilla flavoring Milo. But this time I wanted to try something a little bit more…flavorful?” Cecily looked at him hopefully. He thought for a bit, then reached around the bar and handed her a small dark brown bottle of plain rum. “This ought to do the job nicely” he told her, then turned to Aubry, who had been folding her wraps over her arm and pacing around the shop while he helped her friends. “What can I get for you today, Aubry?” he swiped at his nose in an attempt to hide the grin breaking out as he noticed her fingering a flask of almond essence. “Have you any more of that lovely blackberry cordial Milo?” she asked wistfully. He looked up in surprise, then moved into the back to check. “Let me see Aubry- I’ll be just a second.” While back there he pulled out a tiny bottle of the almond essence and tucked it into a small basket with the cordial.

“That popular was it?” Milo said as he came back into the room. Aubry had just taken a few bottles at the Fall Festival. “No” she said mournfully, “well, I suppose yes- with the mice it would seem.” Everyone exclaimed in dismay and regret. “Oh no” Cally gasped. ”Not mice! How bad is it?” she shuddered as she imagined Aubry’s Inn overrun with the pests. “Oh, not too bad I think, I’ve only just noticed, and the cats haven’t told me of anything out of the ordinary. I’m thinking a good cleaning will take care of it. I just wish they hadn’t gotten to the cordials before I’d had a chance to sample them!” she grinned, then sighed dramatically. Everyone laughed, then it was time to wrap their purchases up in baskets and bags, wind up in scarves and wraps, and thank Milo for his time and patience and head out into the snow again. “No, no- thank you ladies!” Milo said heartily. He took the broom out as they all headed up the stairs. “Come again anytime!” he called, then began sweeping up the bits of debris that had come inside with them. Not a bad days work, he reflected. He put away the broom and locked up his money box. Not bad at all!

A Winter’s Tale

Wasn’t that fun? I had a wonderful time writing those stories, and it was really good practice for me. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a tale to tell- next I want to do a dialogue scene. But for today I thought I check in and give you all an update on what I’ve been up to lately, besides writing children’s stories…

This month I decided to try a new pattern making technique- taking a pattern from an existing garment. How does it look?

The green tunic is the one I made- and yes, it’s very large, inside out and only basted together, but I’m very happy with it! It fits! I’m enjoying the process and learning a lot as I go through the steps. And all my thrifted sewing books are coming in very handy- I’ve already looked up assembling sleeves, plackets, cuffs, collars and seam finishes (although that’s getting ahead of myself- it’s not at that stage yet!) Very exciting…

There is new life again out in the garden- I gave it a good cleaning last week. Sweeping and dead-heading and a good feed brought most of the plants back to life. I’ve discovered liquid seaweed fertilizer, and I must say it’s easier and gives better results than the powdered stuff I was using. Almost everyone out there needs a new, bigger pot this year, so I’ll be making a trip to the garden shop soon…

The kitty grass had to come out- kitties love it, but their stomachs do not! Ahem. The Buddleia is not really doing it for me (they have no smell! And the hummers didn’t much care for it anyway), so I’ve decided it must come out. The red rose turned out to be a Hybrid Tea- which means there is only ever one single bloom on the thing at a time, so he’s coming out too. After I made that decision I took a good look at what else was going on out there and made an actual plan for this spring. Can’t wait til it warms up so we can buy some new plants!

Speaking of…yes, we brought home some new herbs- but I’m keeping them in the kitchen this time, they’re so pretty! Apple Mint, Tarragon and Lemon Thyme. Yummy- I put a pinch of tender thyme tops in my tea last night…Mmm….delicious!

So that’s the month so far- lots of sewing, a little gardening, and a new pasttime, writing! I’ll have a new chapter up this Friday, thanks for staying tuned! Now if I could just get those Faeries out of my ink pot…

Aubry the Innkeeper

Aubry walked into the Inn’s kitchen and sat down at her desk under the window to make the weekly shopping list. It was Wednesday, the middle of the week, and all the guests had left but one. She had set the little maid to airing the rooms and let Cook know that dinner would be light today, just the maid, herself and the last guest, since Aubry would be in town all day doing the shopping. Taking out a pencil nub and a fresh sheet of thick paper, she set to work.

Flour, salt and sugar- although they liked to use their own honey from the beehives out in the garden, it was close to the end of winter, and their stock was low. Plenty of root vegetables; carrots, potatoes, turnips, yams, beets, and parsnips for certain. She would keep an eye out for anything new that might be in for Cooks’ wonderful meals of stews, bakes, mashes and salads. Salads! That’s right, Cook had asked for some greens to round out the lettuces and herb tops she used in her lunch offerings. Aubry took out her master list while she mentally reviewed the pantry. Another bag of dried beans perhaps, and some rolled oats for the morning porridge. The rice was holding out, and the lentils were fine, so she looked over the rest of the supplies.

Dried herbs for the floors- she liked to strew the straw floor in the dining room with herbs to discourage uninvited “guests”, and it made the close winter air fresh and clean smelling. More chamomile soap – she still had plenty of the rosemary. A length of linen to make a new table runner perhaps, and some new mugs to replace the ones that were broken at the WinterTide Feast. She shook her head in consternation- she ran a nice establishment, not some rowdy Pub! Mayhap this year she should think of taking bookings for the meal, instead of allowing the room to be overrun with revelers.

Aubry went to the cellar to check the wine stock and discovered that the cider was running low; she would have to arrange for delivery of two more barrels, and the mice had opened the cork on some of the bottles. Hmm...It would seem they had a preference for the blackberry cordials! She sighed softly to herself then gathered them up and took them to Cook. Maybe she could save them. She added two bottles of cordial to her list and went to fetch her purse, shawl, market basket and, after checking outside, her galoshes. Brrr! This was going to be a cold and wet trip!

The Tailor’s Shop

With the midday meal taken care of, and the dishes and napkin safely returned to the teashop, Cecily set out to finish her shopping. She stopped by the cobbler’s stall to pick out a pair of soft leather boots- now that the cold weather had set in, her feet were always blue and she needed something soft and warm to wear while she went about her duties at the shop. While she was there she found a pretty little pair of grey slippers that would go perfectly with Analise’s new winter coat. She danced a little jig while the cobbler’s assistant wrapped her packages in green paper and tied them up with string. Cecily thanked them both as she made her way out of the stall, and turned towards the tailor’s shop at the edge of the faire.
The tailor’s shop was Cecily’s favorite stop of the day. Full of colour and texture, the walls were lined with hooks holding garments, and shelves full of folded trousers and shirts filled the interior. There were hip length tunics of cotton and linen, twill pants, corduroy trousers, and shirts of silk, voile and flannel. There were even some vests of felt and hand woven tapestry hung by the door. Near the back were the coats and cloaks of woven and boiled wool, all in lovely jewel toned reds and greens and blues and browns, with a few mysterious looking black ones peeping out from the rack. There were heavy twill and linen skirts, some with embroidery borders running around the bottom edges, and aprons made of the finest linen were folded into a chest by the front. Hob even had a few pieces of silk velvet clothing- vests, trousers and a funny little tri-cornered hat made up of different colours. Cecily sighed over the silk festival dresses for a few moments before picking out some good, sturdy green and brown fustian skirts, a nice handkerchief weight linen tunic of light lavender, and a wonderful cloak full of pockets in a beautiful shade of chocolate brown, with a border of cocoa and cream embroidery.
Now her shopping basket was full to the brim, and the sun was slanting down through the trees as the afternoon turned towards evening. It was time to head home. It had been a wonderful day full of treasures and delights, and Cecily was glad she had come to the Winter Faire!

Cecily at the Winter Faire

Next Cecily stopped at the basket makers tent, it’s walls covered with baskets of all shapes and sizes, bales of reeds and grasses tucked away into the corners and rolls of floor matting stacked along the edges. She selected a few small woven containers for storing beans and grains, a new piece of matting for the hallway, and then found a floor cushion that reminded her of Zachary’s resolution to practice his meditation more often in the new year. That was her second Yule purchase- and it wasn’t even mid-morning yet! This was turning into a very productive expedition. She asked Maude if she could have her things delivered to her cottage later that evening. The basket maker agreed, saying she’d have her eldest deliver them as soon as he’d had his evening meal. Cecily thanked her and moved off to her next stop, the farmer’s stall.
Cecily hadn’t been able to dry enough grass seeds to last the whole winter, much less into the spring, so she arranged for delivery of a few bushels to be delivered later that week, along with a sack of dried beans, and a crate of late harvest apples as well. As the farmer was writing up her order she noticed a new display in the corner of lace doilies and snowy white napkins edged with beautiful embroidery. The farmer’s wife helped her pick out a matched set for her friend Jeanette, and that was her third Yule present picked out that day.
By then the sun was high in the sky, and Cecily was decidedly peckish so she headed over to the food stalls to see what was being offered. The delicious smells wafting through the air led her through the maze of tents and stalls. There was such a variety this year! Carrot and leek hand pies, lacy potato cakes, cheese stuffed mushrooms, roasted nuts, freshly baked rolls, piping hot squash soup, baked yams- and the tea shop had even set up a counter with tea service to boot! She paid for a mug of hot peppermint tea and a toasty hand pie then found a place to sit near the village green. The bakery had their doors wide open to let all the good smells advertise their offerings, and the warm air combined with the sunny day made the space right outside their door a very nice place to picnic.

The Story Continues…

Market Day pt. II
Cecily loved the winter faire! All the colourful tents, delicious aromas, and all of her friends together in one place at once- it was a really wonderful time of year. She swung her basket a little as she walked down through the village to the market square where the faire was held, twice a year – at the beginning of winter, and in the middle of summer. Today was the Winter Solstice, and Cecily intended to stock up on Yule presents and some winter supplies. She took her shopping list out of her pocket and headed into the Faire.
Cecily went to the weavers stall first for some soft downy mouse wool, strong spider’s silk thread, linen cloth for new kitchen towels, and coarser sheep’s wool yarns that would tide her over for her winter knitting. While she was there she saw the loveliest grey knitted gloves that would be perfect for Celeste, so that was her first Yule purchase of the day.

A bit of a Story…

Market Day-
In the Village Square, there was held a Bi-Annual Market. Twice a year folks from all over the land congregated to sell, and buy, and trade. Mostly…
The Winter Faire, as it happened to be named, was held at the Winter Solstice- that chilly time of year when the sun goes down earlier than it gets up in the morning, and it’s very cold, and usually very wet, and sometimes very white. It wasn’t, this year. But it was very cold, and the harvest had been quite good, so there was plenty to sell and that made it easy to buy what wasn’t harvested, but made.
Cecily got up that morning with a great sense of excitement, and expectation. She washed her face and her hands and her whiskers and put on her best dress, with her woolens underneath and her favorite knitted shawl over top, and went down to breakfast. She had a bowl of rice porridge with honey and chopped nuts and drank a mug of rosehip and lavender tea, then did the morning chores before the sun had even peeped over the edge of the world.
She swept the floor, cleaned the stone hearth, and pulled up water from the old well. She feed the birds their cracked seed, gave the milch mouse her hay, brought up some roots from the cold cellar and set the beans to soak for dinner that night. And then she fetched her basket from the pantry, tucked her list into her pocket, and headed off to the Winter Faire!

A new Idea…

Cobbwebb stalked down the trail, daring the woods to impede her progress.
No, no, no! I want a faeries tale!
Ok.
About market day in the village.
Alright.
Only it’s got to be Market Day- and it’s got to be in the Village Square!
Umm… who’s telling this story?
You are.
Ok.
…
Well, go on, tell it!
I’m thinking it up- takes a moment, you know?
Oh, alright! I’ll tell it.
Go ahead then.
All right- I will! There was a Market Day in the Village Square.
Then what?
I hadn’t got that far.
Shall I then?
Yes, please.
Alright then. Once Apon A Time…the Village was holding it’s Bi-Annual Faire, filled with stalls and tents and tables and events and goods from all the crofters from miles around…

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Well! That was just a wild and crazy ride, wasn’t it? Here it is, New Year’s Eve already- where did the year go? I’m glad I got to spend some of it here with all of you, sharing my makes and do’s. This last month just flew by:

The Pixie Workshop in full swing! Well, there is another wing you didn’t get to see, all my papercrafting spread out over the dining table, but you get the idea don’t you? Paper, paint, glue, glitter…it was all there for a few weeks going full steam! This is one tired little elf, I can tell you…

Here’s some of what I collected through the season, and got done in the workshop: Glass ornaments- Tigers and Polar Bears, and a lot of glittery Owls. Paper Sleighs and prancing ponies to match. One trip to Disneyland (decorated for the holidays- it’s our favorite time to go!), a bit of Birch paper that never made it to the finals (not every idea makes it to completion- I wouldn’t have any time to visit here if it did!), some mini cupcake papers in the seasons colours, and some mini gnomey gnomes for the Christmas tree…

And finally, some of the Christmas knitting- a new frilly scarf, a pretty blue Pixie Pouch, and the raw materials for a few other scarves and bags that got made in the wee small hours of the days and nights leading up to the big day!

This has been an incredible year for us here at Magickwyrds, and we look forward to a brand-spanking-bright-New-Year with all of you in the coming year! From all of us elves, kitties, Faeries and Pixies, we wish you a very Happy New Year!

Merry Yule!

It’s the Friday before Christmas…

Merry Winter Tide everyone- it’s officially Winter Solstice today, the darkest day of the year. The Sun will start to come back tomorrow, and it’s time again for new beginnings, new ideas, new resolutions… sweep out the old, and bring in the new!

But it’s also time to shut down the Workshop for another year. There is just too much to do, and not enough time to do it in. It’s been a good exercise though- letting go of expectations, impossible lists, burdens and strife. This has been a good crafting season. I got enough done, made a few new designs, lots of reading and baking and now…time to slow down and enjoy the last few days of the season. It’s been an enjoyable one since I refused to be drawn into decorating and have just been experiencing the commercialism outside our home, leaving this space a bit of a sanctuary from the hustle-and-bustle that is the Christmas Season.

To be truthful, I enjoy the relaxed feel of Winter Tide more than the flurry of activity that is Christmas. Hot Cocoa on a snowy winter night, the invigorating air of a mountainside retreat, tuning into the natural world…our Holiday has turned more and more into a relaxing, rejuvenating time over the years. I enjoy the sharing and giving more than the expectation of my childhood Christmas- it’s less stressful, and lots more fun.

So from our house to yours: Merry Yule everyone!

Following the dream…

One week ago today was Thanksgiving. What? It’s over, it’s been over, and I’ve just started to come out of my turkey coma. I gave the whole kitchen a good scrub down yesterday, put all the baking supplies back (after sorting them and throwing out some really old rice flour- not sure what that was all about…) and cleaned out the fridge. Last night we had a really lovely- albeit sleepy- grocery run in the dark (gotta love Daylight Savings. Dark at 5:30 in the afternoon. Really?). I love a good supply run, don’t you? Fresh veggies and fruits (the Cuties are in! Yaay Cuties!), some lean meats, and I’ve officially begun laying in the chocolate supply for all my Winter Tide baking. I’ve gone with Ghirardelli morsels this year- I’ve missed them so! After a few years of going with Nestlé's and Tollhouse, I really needed some good chocolate in the house!

I’ve slowly been bringing Christmas, Yule and Winter Tide treasures home for a few weeks now: a glass Polar, some polka-dot candy papers, a gnome ornament and a blown glass golden tiger one, too. (Been messing about with recreating that, too- looks good! I’ll post pictures soon.) The Cricut Paper Cutting machine has seen some use, too- lots of prancing ponies, sleighs, red cardinals and foxes are dancing around my idea boards right now. And yesterday I tried out a new cookie recipe- Snickerdoodles! I can’t believe I’ve never made them before- they are really good, with the outside all crunchy from a sugar coating, and the inside all soft and cakey. It made the house smell like Disneyland for a while, too!

Which brings us to a fork in the road. On the one hand , I want to talk about our trip to Disneyland last week, and on the other I have a bit of an essay on the worth of good tools. Which to choose? Let’s do this- I’ll give a brief synopsis of both! Okay, fair warning, this could get long…

So, Disneyland! It’s become a cherished tradition for us to make a trip to the Fair Kingdom on Black Friday. It’s consumerism yes, but of the loveliest sort! We don’t buy much- in fact, it’s become another tradition to pick out a small ornament from the shops on Main Street just before we leave to mark the occasion. Last year I picked TinkerBell, and thought I would just find her in another pose, but at the last second a sparkly little Alice (from Wonderland, you know?) caught my eye. The girls are now ensconced on my jewelry holder, discussing tea and the delights of Christmas baking. So pretty! I’ll post a proper discussion of our trip next week- that’ll be worth a full week of posts at least!

Now, let’s talk about tools, shall we? I picked up a cookie dough scoop to try out this month, mainly because I like to make mostly drop cookies during the year, and for Christmas this year I wanted a more “professional” look to my baking. I looked at a few places, choked over some of the prices (and sizes- I mean really! who needs a half cup measure for cookies?) and decided to get a really cheap, plastic model from the craft store.

Don’t do it! Just walk away! Back away from the cheap stuff, and no cookies will get hurt.

Really, truly- you get what you pay for when you are investing in tools! I will never understand why I think I can get away with buying cheap (I’m talking less than $3) plastic tools. Encarta defines a tool as:

“ an object designed to do a specific kind of work such as cutting or chopping by directing manually applied force or by means of a motor”.

If it’s designed to do a “specific” job, why would I think that just any old plastic thingamajig would do the job? Well, this brings me to the point of this whole essay: I am designed to do a specific, particular job. and at this point in time, that job is doing what I’m doing right now, what I’ve been training to do for the last 7 years! Why would I let myself fall prey to peer pressure and think that I’m not doing “my job”? I lost my way this year, and started thinking that I was spending too much time playing around while my husband did the “real” work.

What?!

Just because I don’t bring in a paycheck, I began to think that my work wasn’t “real”. Well, that’s just silly! Because my work is just as real as any one else's! In fact, I would have to pay someone else a lot of money to do what I do. And that would just defeat the purpose. I am searching for a way to make a living doing what I do, but the path I almost set out on this year is not the way I want to accomplish that. And not to put too fine a point on it, but noone else can do the stuff I can: I taught myself how to knit, and sew, paint, quilt, crochet, bake, cook, write (! I’m most proud of that I think. It’s a lot of work writing all these blog posts, but it has taught me so much about writing, and I’ve gotten tons of practice, and practice makes perfect, right?) and garden in the last 7 years! On top of all that skill, I’ve spent the last 11 years battling some pretty serious health issues. I don't know anyone else who was given a Menopause diagnosis at the age of 30! And that’s just the tip of my personal iceberg…

So don’t skimp on the right tools. Sometimes it’s a good idea to search for ways to make one tool do several jobs, but it can’t even do it’s own job if it’s not tempered and built correctly. And sometimes that means spending some real money to get the best choice.

And sometimes, the best tool is the one you’ve had all along!

Signs and portents; giving up and moving on…

Dear readers, do you believe in signs? Are there portents in your life, indicators pointing the way? Do you see faces in the clouds which direct your feet to the destiny of your dreams?

I have been on the phone all morning, trying to make a counseling appointment at my community college. This phone call has been coming for three long, stressful, nerve wracking years. I have been putting it off for far too long, I’ve let my fingers be distracted by laundry, and holiday baking and gift making, long golden summer days and cold short winter afternoons. Now is the time to get back on the horse, to get this thing done and life back on its track! But the operators do not care to listen, and I am forced to wait. and listen to horrible elevator music.

It’s scary, trying something new. The idea sounds good, in the comfort of home. Dreams grow big and round and golden in the warmth of family and ideals, but take it outside in the wind and the rain and the cold indifference of society makes it seem small and insignificant. It’s easy to “get on with life”, and go back to the routine of the familiar path. New ideas, untried and unstable, get hidden by have-to’s and schedules and shopping lists and chores. Dinner has to be made, and the groceries shopped for, and birthdays are coming up! It’s almost too easy to be swayed from the impossible, the maybe, the what-ifs…

Oops- where’d the week go?

Oh- it’s Friday again! Someone started up the Time Machine again…

I am in the midst of Gearing Up for The Holidays here at the old Pixie Cottage folks. Paper cutting, sketches, acrylic paints, bins of flour, red stretchy fabric and every book on Christmas known to man are spread out across every surface of my wee little house. Barely any room for the cookies…

Speaking of cookies- what’s your favorite Chocolate Chip cookie recipe? I absolutely love the one on the back of the Ghirardelli bag- nice and crisp, perfect circles of sweet perfection! Alas- I don’t have any right now.

Drat.

Looks like it’s back to good old Tollhouse for now. Lovely soft, cakey mounds of chips and dough, I like both kinds.

(But I prefer Ghirardelli. Just sayin’. Hmm, looks like a trip to the store is in order!)

On another note- I’ve discovered Grooveshark! After sticking with Pandora for what seems like ever, this is a nice change of pace. Hey you Faeries! The Fridge light is not a disco ball- and who put Mr. Saxobeat into the rotation?

Goose Yoga and other things…

Have you ever seen an elephant fly? Or a goose doing yoga?

I don’t know what was funnier- the goose or me trying to set up the shot! Too funny.

Today is Tuesday, and it’s exactly a week until the Kitchen Olympics. Err, or in Muggle speak, Thanksgiving. If you’ve never “done” Thanksgiving before, I’ll let you in on a little secret…

Cooks are cooking (and baking) the Thanksgiving Feast in their minds … as early as July! And we start getting really excited the last week of October- ‘cause that’s the earliest we can get away with stocking up! Soo much fun, shopping for the Big Day! Almost as fun as planning the menu…

This year we are spending the day with my family. Lately we have tried out a few different ways of celebrating Thanksgiving- which have all been special and meaningful in their own ways.

But…it’s really hard to justify cooking a 16 pound bird for two people. ahem.

So! This morning I finally sat down and made a list of all the things I’d like to bring with us next Thursday.

BIG mistake. Want to see it? Okay, here goes-

1. Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
2. Green Onion Casserole
3. Orange Glazed Carrots
4. Dijon Brussels Sprouts
5. Seared Asparagus
6. Sweet Potato Casserole MY way- that one’s yummy- I’ll be posting a recipe soon.
7. Spinach Gratin
8. Lemon Broccoli
9. Risotto
10. Buttermilk Biscuits
11. Brioche Rolls

umm…yeah. Can you see where this is going? (and for those observant types, nope - that isn’t even the whole list. I know!)

Confession time: I have been writing a cookbook since this summer. And sometime around September (or maybe it was August?) I started rolling that research together with my dreams of Turkey Day! And now, well…

I don’t think there’s a table BIG enough in the entire city that could hold everything I’ve got planned! (Wait til you see my Christmas Cookie List! It’s even bigger…)

No worries though- the Faeries have caught wind of my mad schemes and are “helping” me with the prep work…they’ve already eaten an ENTIRE loaf of bread that was supposed to be the stuffing, and that Asparagus recipe has completely disappeared from my files. Oh, and I might as well admit that I just couldn’t actually wait for Thanksgiving and started making some of those dishes for dinner a few times this month, so I’ve been able to satisfy my desire to make all of these dishes without actually having to make them all for one meal….

The rest of the week should be a hoot- I’ve got to plot out the Christmas gift lists this week, sketch out a mockup of our Christmas Cards (been meaning to do this for years! So excited…), try out a new idea for glass ornaments (there’s gold paint involved! And glitter!), a VERY IMPORTANT crochet project to get finished, and one very coldy little kitty girl to cuddle when the sun goes down (I’ve been informed that my job in the evenings this very cold Fall is to keep her feet warmed up, thank-you-very-much-mamma!) Lots to do, busy busy!

A rainy Fall morning…

From a high of 90* to cold,wet, rainy mornings- all in the space of a week, this Fall is behaving strangely, indeed! So glad I washed the floors while it was hot and dry a few days ago. Now it’s on to prepping dinner for the weekend (a Pot Roast, Indian Tacos, Lemon Chicken and lots of Mashed Potatoes! Oh, and a trial run of a new Stuffing recipe. Only it’s not going into a bird, so maybe it’s a Dressing recipe? Hmm…), making a Quilt Sandwich (it’s about time, I know), and lots of tinkering in the Christmas Workshop. I love this time of year, lots of new ideas flying around (some even landing on paper), tables strewn with half-finished  projects, slivers of paper, hanks of yarn, swatches of fabric and bottles of paint. Bliss!

It’s hard to believe it was so hot last weekend, sitting here today with the rain coming down right outside my window, the chilly air making the house cold and brisk. That sweet face up above greeted us to Julian last Saturday, just as he has a few times this year- very quiet and curious, such a pretty boy! The trees are turning from green to brilliant reds, oranges and yellows up in the mountains this month- so refreshing! And exhilarating really. Our house in the city is on a bit of a ridge, so no trees around us here, just windswept streets with the occasional bush. There’s no shelter from the heat, sun or rain here- very different from our last house, come to think of it. That was more of  Hobbity-hole, all surrounded by trees, huddled under the stairs on the first floor. This place feels more of an Aerie- a windswept nest of Eagle people perched high atop a vast mountain…hmmm, she’s quite poetic today, isn’t she?

So- cooking, baking, cleaning, crafting, sewing and maybe even some Gaming to do today. Busy, busy, busy. Where are my Faeries? No time for dawdling today boys, there’s work to do!