Restless

I feel the need to create something but my energy in that area has disappeared.  It may be due to a very annoying eye issue. I have had dry eye for several years. Now it is flared and all treatments suggested by doctors and friends don't seem to be helping much at all. Two visits to optometrist within a month haven't made a bit of difference. This has caused me to feel quite angry at my eye! Durn eye! Stop stinging, burning, scratching. How can I get back on track? Right now I'm wearing sunglass clip-ons over my closeup glasses, along with the brightness of the computer turned way down. 

So, here I am thinking about taking a break from researching, reading, posting. Yes, I have put out my yarn wreath that was a 1984 gift from one of "my" 4-H'ers. Yes, I managed to get the ceramic Christmas tree out of the closet and set up (without ornaments) in front of the kitchen window, It was a gift to me and marked inside with the date 1972 from a friend who is long gone. My brother's six glass ornaments hang in the other double windows. I have trapped 8 mice outside by the side door. 

My daughters want to know what I'd like for Christmas. I would like world peace. They can't give me that! There is nothing else that I can think of.  My status quo living in the old cabin is comforting as nothing else could be. 

If you don't hear from me for a while, be sure I'm trying to perk up - to not worry, to be satisfied. I'm fortunate in many ways that even you cannot imagine. 

Memories of 40's Christmas Time

In the early 1940's I was 5-10. My brother was three years younger and our twin sisters were 6 years younger than me. Some memories have surfaced recently and I'd like to share how it was in those days.

Electric plastic Christmas candlesticks with blue light bulbs were placed on all the window sills. The naked tree sat on the front porch and never came into the house until late on Christmas eve after we kids went to bed. Some of the lower branches were cut off and tied with red ribbon as a front door spray. There was a cardboard brick fireplace set up in the living room and our stockings were pinned to the mantle. A cardboard fire with a light behind it was bright. 

We never saw the decorated tree when we were very young until we got the "OK" to come downstairs on Christmas morning. We sat on the steps peeking through the balusters waiting until permission was given. You see, after we all had gone to bed, I now realize that the tree was brought in, set up and decorated by our parents along with the Lionel train set made to circle around the bottom and ready to be activated. The presents were spread there. The lights were turned on. The OK was given. Santa was supposedly the one who did it all during the night.

Each child had a turn opening one gift and showing the others before opening another one. The wrapping paper was not torn or ruined, and the ribbons were saved. There was a special place in the room for them to be placed for imminent storage to be reused.  

We all received new hand-crocheted or knitted mittens and a box of animal crackers! My favorite gifts that remain in memory are new crayons and books. There was a craft to make flower petals and leaves with wire dipped into a transparent colorful substance and they were twisted together to make a flower. How I loved that one! A lovely 12" blond haired doll with jointed extremities, dressed in a yellow organdy frock was a favorite. She was from my mother's life-long friend who we called "Aunt Jeanette." The lady was never married and was always part of our family, though much wealthier and very caring and sweet. One year she gave me a 13" Kewpie doll and my mother and a neighbor made many outfits for her. I regret now that I didn't keep her and her hand-sewn clothing.

I only remember some of what was in our stockings — mine had a can of sweetened condensed milk - all my very own! My brother's had a package of Velveeta cheese. I don't remember our sister's special treat but do remember that we all got a potato in the toe!

During Christmas week I was allowed to run the train set, which was really my brother's. The twins didn't get this privilege. When a couple of weeks had passed, it was time to take the tree down and put the decorations in storage. A very important part of it was first removing the crinkly lead tinsel of the 40's, ONE strand at a time. Back then it was stored and then reused from year to year. Some of the hanging glass ornaments would be valued today as they had been passed on from my grandmother.

Christmas dinner was special. We kids all got a wineglass of watered-down wine. There was always a turkey. Dad claimed a leg. After dinner, a plum pudding, made by Mother was lit on fire before serving. Blue flames!  Brandy had been poured over the top and it smelled really good! The hard sauce was sparingly dolloped on top of each slice! No wonder I love sweet stuff!

Oh there is so much more starting to surface but the jist of this story is that we always felt loved and happy at this time of year. We never realized the sacrifices that were made for the celebration. We knew the real meaning of Christmas as well. A manger set up was on the dining room buffet. The story was read to us every year before we went to bed. 

Sent and Delivered with Love

Some very sweet, tart, chewy and cheesy gifts arrived here via special delivery! The hummingbird pewter ornament is an annual surprise chosen by a loving daughter and it hangs on the old ceramic tree beautifully. She also knows that the sugary fruit slices have been my favorite for many years. Just see the wonderful colors!

I admit to counting on a box of fruit-shaped Marzipan every year from another thoughtful daughter. I don't dare open it yet because I know it would be gone before Christmas day! It really would!  (tap image to view larger...)

And the cheeses!!!!! WOWIE! There are large cherries in the jam.  Do you think I have a sweet tooth and am a lover of cheese? There were  couple of other nice gifts that I have put away under the kitchen counter. Can you guess? The Mister and I used to share one of these every Christmas eve. Maybe I'll sip it from two special cups anyway. I did that last year. 

By the way, the little cookies I made yesterday are going fast. I'll have to hide some.

We lost power for over 10 hours overnight. The blinkin' clock woke me up at 11:30pm! Generator to the rescue. Yay!

REALLY cold coming. Wake me when it's over, OK?

Keep it Simple

Yes, it is simple and I now have comfortable feelings for the season. Over the many years of big real tree decorating, tons of sparkle and lighting, it really is enough to show just the remnants of 60+ years when it comes to Christmas decorating. A long time ago I gave one of my daughters all of the hand crocheted ornaments her grandmother made. Yesterday another daughter, living in another state sent images of her tree with the hand-painted ornaments I made for her through a few years, way back when....

Recently I have passed on some very simple ones that I made to a young neighbor. What started my thoughts about this is that I have finally completed my efforts to brighten my environment with my own. The crystal ornaments in the windows are ones that my brother made. They are a reflection of his talent and love of making glass art creations.

The tiny birdfeeder was created by my mother. It has held together for about 30 years!

In 1972 a dear friend was into glazing and decorating ceramic ware. She gave this tree to me and even signed it inside with the date. Last year the mice ate through the electric cord and that part was replaced by another close friend. This tree has been on display in my home every year for 50 years! I get goose bumps when I hold it. This year I decorated it with over a dozen pewter ornaments gifted to me by my daughter over the years. It shines brightly all day and all night for the entire month. 

The honey bear and cub are gifts from the same daughter.

The set of plastic deer family has been displayed for dozens of years. I'll wager that all of my kids remember them. They will also remember that I have made repairs to the buck's antlers several times as well.

I know that I'm just a sentimental being, but it is my nature and these memories are cherished and make me happy. It really doesn't take much. No elegance, no grandeur, just simply satisfying.

To enlarge images just tap on one.

Winter Watch

Yes, the lake finally is starting to freeze. There is snow on top of the frozen sections and the dipper ducks are staying at open water along the edge. There is a light snow falling. The snow plow went through - not plowing - spreading cinders. I was able to hang my yarn wreath on the front porch logs by the front door and set out a small green glass Christmas tree next to Henry after bringing in the Thanksgiving ceramic pumpkin.

The next big project will to have someone remove James' leaves and snuggle him in for the season with his scarf. Oh! I also will try to remove my 49 year old ceramic tree from the linen closet without breaking off the top. Will have to tilt it to get it past the door openings. I sure do want to have those cheery lights on for the month of December as in all of the past years. I'll have to let you know how that works out!!

Dinner last night was too much for one meal, so I'll have a repeat tonight. I had put together a dinner for one with 14 of the garlic herb shrimp from Schwan's and discovered that I only could eat 1/2! They were very good and filling over a small portion of rice and freshly cooked broccoli.

Let the season begin!

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Threes

They say good things come in threes. Today it happened. A box from friends in HI with frozen specialty foods was delivered via UPS this afternoon. The snail mail delivery person stuffed a book-sized box that was full of homemade cookies and candy from a dear friend in PA in the mailbox. Every year this friend also makes gifts of little angels and items that are unusual. I treasure these very much. Another sweet lady supported her local business and purchased goods that have significant meaning for us. That package came with a nice card and is a lovely and useful gift. Several other beautiful cards arrived, all with notes. The Christmas and holiday cheer surrounds us here. 

I had fun with the dry ice. Mike Stevens, our local WNEP News journalist who puts together slide shows among other wonderful efforts to entertain us once said, "We are products of our childhood."  How true!

The snow is coming down at high speed as I write this. Tomorrow we'll see if the Mister can use the blower to open the driveway. If not, our lawn and yard man is ready to help out. (The cold air is a problem for the Mister as it makes him cough, due to his lung disease.) The plows will plow us in for sure! We have all we need and are prepared very well as far as food and shelter are considered. Not everyone is. 

Here is a sample of what we expect to see tomorrow morning. The forecast says 18" to 24"! It should be finished falling around 10am. 

(These are last year photos, not nearly 18-24")

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Coloring Book Project

In anticipation of creating greeting cards for the holiday season I searched for and found some free coloring book pages on the internet and have downloaded and worked on them. I wanted pages that incorporated "stained glass" themes. They are out there! 

Current results are here. I have not put them into any photo manipulation free internet programs as I usually would, but have tried out something different - at first. I still have time to further change these and they are not promised to be my final images. 

What do you think?

Nativity

Musicians

Candy Cane

Bells

To view larger, please click on image.

Couldn't Stay Away!

I miss putting down my thoughts, ideas, words where I can go back easily and review them once in awhile so here I am again. It's Christmas Eve 2019. The old ceramic tree (1972) is decorated and the home-made crystal ornaments that my brother created hang in the windows. The family nearest, all have colds, so we will be staying home. Cards have been exchanged. We like quiet times now.

I want to tell you about a couple of small gifts I had made from my photography efforts. One was a fractureme.com 5"x 5" glass tile of our great grandson twins in the stroller. They are 10 mos. old. The tile is nice. I don't like the glare of the glass, though.

          The other has a story and here it is:

This artistic wall tile started out with a maple leaf-shaped bottle that I picked up at “Big Al’s” yard sale when I was riding the golf car taking pictures in the Heart Lake area. I brought it home, cleaned it out with buckshot and later that year gave it to my brother, Paul. He has made maple syrup for many years and the bottle seemed a suitable gift. Wouldn’t you know, he surprised me with re-gifting it back for my birthday that year filled with the wonderful light amber sweet syrup. Before using the contents, I placed it on the countertop in front of the kitchen window to enjoy the sparkling dark honey yellow colors. After I saw the resulting image, I just had to do more with it. I cropped out the background, found one that suited my eyes better, added maple leaves in the foreground and had a creative rendition made into an 8"x 8" photo wall tile. It is a photo placed on a foam backing with a beveled edge and came with self-adhesive magnets included for super easy hanging and repositioning. This is a Christmas gift for a grandson and his partner for their home. It really came out great.

Merry Christmas to all!

Oh! Santa Came Early!

I truly would rather give than receive... as we REALLY don't need or want anything at this time of our lives. Gifts are nice, though and we DO appreciate the thoughtful gestures of our friends and family.

The first thing to arrive from HI friends was a variety of frozen chowders and bisques. We both really love seafood and soups.

 Image from source internet site

Our two adult granddaughters who live in upper NY state sent a 5.8 quart digital touchscreen air frier appliance.  It came with a 50-recipe book. That should be fun to try. The world is going to be totally electronic in a couple of years! Scary for me.

 Image from source internet site

The last night when our grandson and his significant partner stopped in to pick up some photo work that I completed for them, they brought along a beautiful glass Christmas tree jar filled with candy!  (I had given them my hand made jute tree when they gave me the photo project earlier.)

Yes, we've been into the candy jar!

I've finished my second batch of split pea soup and am anticipating sharing jars with my brother and daughter who live nearby. Cookies are almost gone and I'll bake more next week. I still haven't dressed James for the season - bad me. It's been too wet and is raining again! I'll pretend he's in the mood with last year's shot for now.......

A Great Granddaughter waits for Santa too!

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Back to Basics...er... I mean Baking

Just gotta have something homemade and sweet around here. Tomorrow I'll bake some CC cookies too. Maybe I'll put some dried sweet cherries in them...feeling a bit creative. Maybe it's because Christmas is on the way and I have cards to send. Received our first one today. Worked on my list this morning. Gonna dig out my old ceramic tree and feel the spirit of the season, even though the lake is melting and the mud is back. Well this is short because I have places to go and things to do. Yeah, right.

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Oh, by the way...

Care to give a guess as to what this is?

Looking Back at Christmas

Things I remember about Christmas when I was a very young child; things I don’t remember as well. It was the 1940’s.

The real tree stood out on the front porch until Christmas Eve. It was a Balsam with lots of space between the branches. Christmas music was played on the old phonograph. It was mostly heavy classical music and the records were hard 12 inch discs. They were called 78’s.  Mainly I remember that we, meaning my sisters, brother and I weren’t allowed downstairs from our bedrooms before our father turned on the Christmas tree lights. We were supposed to stay on the hall landing until called, but sometimes we sled down a stair or two and peeked through the railing supports until Dad said, “OK, READY!” He had even started up the electric Lionel train which circled around the base of the tree.  We never ever saw the tree decorated or any gift boxes before Christmas morning.

My brother and I remember few gifts but he remembers high quality plaid shirts and I remember a lovely doll with a yellow dress and leather shoes. These were from our mother’s dearest friend who we called Aunt Jeanette.  He remembers a green wagon and I remember my little pair of skis and his TinkerToys. We both loved the contents found in our stockings which hung on a cardboard imitation fireplace. Inside the bulging stockings he always found a block of Velveeta cheese and I always found a can of sweetened condensed milk! We could gorge ourselves on our individual favorite treats this one time of the year. There were water paints, crayons and embroidery kits in my stocking and small toys in his, plus a candy cane.

The bulbs on the light string were old and the paint was peeling off. These bulbs had tips on their ends and the wire was a double one with cloth covering. There were also some bulbs on another string that were animals and birds. In later years there were some that looked like candles and started bubbling when turned on. 

I have very little recollection of any tree decorations except for the tinsel which was always either falling off or the cat pulled off. If a ball fell, it shattered into hundreds of sharp shards. All paper wrapping was carefully folded and saved to be reused the next year; ribbons too if they were fabric. 

What else do we remember? Not much. New handmade mittens, and hair barrettes. Before Christmas we attended a party at the firehouse and were given a mesh red stocking with a paper cuff stapled to the top edge that was filled with candy. Church music was sung with joy and robust vocals. 

I don’t remember baking or decorating cookies, but do remember the plum pudding that was placed on the dinner table and then lit with a match. It must have had brandy poured over it and when the fire went out, it was served with “hard sauce” a sugary spread. When it was brought out the feeling was that it was a ceremony. 

Later in the week, it was always enjoyable for me to visit a girlfriend who lived down the street to see what she received. Her grandmother was German and the gifts were very special. In fact I was a little envious but happy at the same time to know someone who received different and interesting presents. She shared nicely. 

There are more memories but they are deeply buried and I just can't get them to the surface today. After I post this they will probably be recalled. Oh well..... 

The Gift

This summer two adult granddaughters from New York came for a visit for the first time and I had never seen them grown up. They are lovely adult ladies and we had a grand time. They are daughters of my deceased son and I only ever had seen them when they were infants. Between them they have six grown children and one has a grandson.

As we spent most of our time on the front porch they must have noticed that I have an affinity for cardinals that I never even realized! There is a large wooden cardinal whirligig hanging over the far end of the porch that I bought from a craftsman at the campground in SC about fifteen years ago. He has weathered many storms and is well. There is a 1974 Avon plate hanging over my dining room window that I gave my mother one Christmas and there is a hand made and hand painted one attached to our front door that a son made for her. I have a pewter one hanging on my ceramic tree that a daughter gave me one Christmas. There are several living around the property flying in and out of the bushes on the driveway side of the cabin.

My favorite color is bright red. The interior curtains, tablecloth, pot holders, and so many other things that are here are bright red, which is an energizing color for me.  Something new has been added to my Christmas display.

At Christmastime red is prevalent and such a warm color. The red cardinal snow globe makes me feel very happy. The snow globe gift from my granddaughters that arrived contains a red crested cardinal perched on a woodland branch. When shaken, white sparkly flakes float around the bird slowly and fall to the bottom. This four inch globe has a black base and is just a wonderful creation, being so clear and it feels nice to handle. I have always wanted a crystal ball and now I have one.

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Updates and Such

Today is the first day of the ice fishermen's arrival. We watched them test the ice and then settle in for serious fishing. 

The icicle that had previously started to develop simply melted away during a warm spell and has started to form again. 

The Mister said he thought he would die before I made his favorite dish again. Well I was ambitious this morning. Surprise! And...we both got into it at lunch! Now what shall we have for supper?

Guess who took the larger section. (We both like the corners!) Recipe below. I don't make a sauce. I create it the way my mother did. We like it best this way.

The gift that a dear friend who lives in Hawaii sent, has been put to another use. The wicker basket with the bright red Merry Christmas satin ribbon was once filled with samples of scrumptious cookies, but alas! They have disappeared!

And another was sent from within my state, and arrived securely packed and wrapped with tape so well I wondered why. Upon its opening, I knew why. A lovely porcelain ball was enclosed, with a special Irish greeting. How wonderful!

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Old Fashioned Baked Macaroni & Cheese

You Will Need:

9 inch X 13 inch Pan

Heavy Duty Foil

Pam No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 - 10 oz. block EXTRA Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese 

1 - 10 oz. block EXTRA Sharp White Cheddar Cheese

(Preferably Helluva Good Cheese Brand or Cracker Barrel or Cooper)

1 - Box (16 oz.) Elbow Macaroni (Preferably Mueller’s Brand)

1/2 Stick BUTTER (Preferably Keller’s Brand)

1 Cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs (Preferably Progresso Brand)

Parmesan & Romano 100% Grated Cheese (Preferably Kraft Brand)

Black Pepper (Preferably McCormick Brand)

5 Cups WHOLE Milk

Line pan with foil and spray with Pam. “Release” brand foil may be used instead of Pam (double lined pan).

Hand grate yellow cheese into bowl and put in freezer until ready to use.

Hand grate white cheese into another bowl and put in freezer too.

(Put a dash of corn oil in the water before cooking)

Cook macaroni at full rolling boil for 11 minutes. Do not salt. Drain.

Dump 1/2 of the macaroni into pan and spread around evenly.

With hand, sprinkle yellow cheese over macaroni.

Dump remainder of the macaroni evenly over the yellow cheese.

With hand, sprinkle white cheese over macaroni.

Generously sprinkle black pepper over all.

Evenly cover all with bread crumbs.

Generously sprinkle Parmesan & Romano cheese over all.

Cut butter into pats and place pats in two rows over top of all.

VERY GENTLY - pour 4 cups of milk along sides of pan.

Tilt pan forward and backward and left to right to make milk flow inside macaroni

Preheat oven to 350º

Bake one hour at 350º. After 1/2 hour do the “tilt” procedure again.

If dry, pour one cup milk over all.

It is done (approximately another 1/2 hour) when no milk can be seen as liquid.

Cool about 10 minutes before serving. Leftovers may be frozen.