MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LYNN BEAN'S DECADENT CHRISTMAS ORANGE/CRANBERRY BREAD

After seeing Lynn Bean post a wonderful Decadent

 Orange/Cranberry Bread, (click for recipe) I decided it was a "must bake"!  

I did everything just as Lynn's recipe suggested except I also added 2/3 cup of chopped dried apricots.  The only other suggestion I have is that in the past I found chopping the cranberries makes them all taste sweeter so I make sure 
each one is opened with a chop!

I have done some serious baking this Christmas and tried some things I've always wanted too. I make mistakes too.  You know like dumping the cake out too soon and it sticks.  I try to make a note of my mistakes so I can avoid them the next time. Have you been baking?  It has been great fun!

Every day my husband and I joke about "not having to go to work" and believe me I am so happy to be retired.

My husband had a big glass jar on the floor by his desk where he always throws his pocket change.  Today he took it to the bank and dumped in the machine.  He came in the door later and asked me to guess how much it was.  My guess was - $47.47 and he just laughed.  He said no - "it was over $400.00". 
 Can you imagine that?  I said, let's go to the grocery store!

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS BED

This last Saturday I got inspired to cut up a couple  old Christmas tablecloths and make

 a bed cover for our extra bed which is an antique full size.  (I later saw the red and green ck tablecloth came from Kohl's)

The red and green square table cloth was wide so I turned it across the bed and it was long enough on the sides - I just had to cut up and add another section to the top so I used another tablecloth with the snowman and Santa.  Of course this would not have worked if the fabric didn't go both ways! 

If my Granddaughter was here she would love to sleep in this bed! Doesn't this afghan bring a smile?  I found it at an antique mall in Denver where the gal hadn't even priced it yet.  It was laying on a chair as she was putting new items in her booth.  I picked it up immediately and thought it was great fun!

I cut up a third tablecloth and combined two fabrics to make a couple of Pillow Shams and make one extra toss pillow!   And underneath?  I recently found a nice 100% wood green and red plaid blanket for 1/2 off in a booth at an antique mall in Denver.

  Many of the booths at antique malls now have
 their Christmasy things 1/2 off.

Some of you might wonder if you can wash old

 wool throws and blankets, etc. The answer is yes, 

 I wash them with cold water and yes,

 throw them in the dryer too!

You might as well pour yourself some hot cocoa!  And enjoy a wonderful Christmas book too!

The picture on the wall above is called "Under the Mistletoe"!
It's formerly heavy bright gold frame is now vintage
 white thanks to my husband who has an open mind!

SUNDAY CELEBRATION

THE SNOWLADY TEA

The decorations are done - time to bake!

Maybe you are like me and have stacks of recipe books

 and folders of printed out recipes on the kitchen table right now! 
 Now that the decorations are out it is time to do some baking!  Every year my Snowlady has a tea and this year
 she is delighted to have guests!

Snowlady saw a recipe in the 2015

 November/December

 issue of Victoria which looked so fun! 

 You can find the recipe

 in the recent issue for these little tarts.

 (Food alert here: there are nuts in the pastry)

As you can see, my Snowlady loves to have a tea party too!

Snowlady had no problem finding the Dalmatia fig spread for this tart recipe but she also used Cherry Tart Filling.  There are also toasted hazelnuts and almonds in the pastry.  People must be doing a lot of baking because there were no 10 lb. bags of sugar on the shelves at the market!

Mr and Mrs Fox wanted to come to Snowlady's Tea Party and they were happy to get to come home now that they are no longer in the Christmas window at my store which closed this summer.

I will be on the look for a tiny 1" star cookie cutter as I

 did not have one - Snowlady used a tiny angel

 one and little round design for my pastry tops.