Oh Tanenbaum, Oh Tanenbaum...

It's taken me ten years to finally realize the 3ft Christmas tree doesn't make me happy.  Yesterday I'd gotten out all the decorating boxes and tried to begin the task when I realized--it felt like a task.  Why is that?  I used to love this part!  I gave it up, hoping to find renewed inspiration with the morning.  But as the morning dawned, the realization dawned as well: it's that tree.  That poor tiny "down-sized" tree was like saying that with all the kids gone, I had no reason to enjoy a big tree. What's the use, when the kids can't be here?

I'm well aware the size--or even presence--of a tree doesn't have anything to do with a level of happiness.

But doing without my kids hurts my feelings so much already...why was I making it worse???  SO...today the hubs and I went and bought a big one.  I'm like a kid at, well, Christmas.  The tiny one will now have a little table in the family room by the fireplace (with the blue lights on it for Phil), so THERE.  I have two trees!  Pictures soon to follow of the crazy mess I call Christmas Decorating.

Of course in this process, the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations find their storage boxes, which makes it hard because Miss Gertie just arrived with her friend Miss Astrid (from Pam at Yoborobo--thank you!).  Miss Gertie might just hang out in my studio, where the calendar just doesn't matter.  She makes me smile every time I see her.  Isn't that just the best big ol' grin?

Gertie

Astrid

Astrid will have an honored place on the Elf Shelf, along with my very first cloth and clay doll.  Elf Girl never got a name, but she's a great sport about it.  Having no name is the least of her worries, if you were to judge a book by its cover.

Astrid and Elf Girl.

Boy, was my sculpting skill newborn back then!  'S'okay.  We all have to start somewhere.  Now Elf Girl has a new gal-pal, which is great because all the other elves are smelly boys. 

Tomorrow I will get the ornaments on the tree (must let the cat explore it tonight without tempting danglies...)  I'll get photos of the finished decorating, and photos of two other additions to my doll collection:
Crazy Wax Doll and Theo.

I hope your weekend is fabulous, dahlinks.

Bread and Butter

I don't normally eat bread or refined carbs.  But life's too short to completely cut out things we enjoy, so on Christmas and Thanksgiving, (okay, and my birthday) I'll give a little on the "rules".

Today we're headed across the street to spend Thanksgiving with our neighbors.  Our kids are scattered all over--the nearest one is a twelve hour drive--and the inlaws are in Arizona, so often the holidays find us "just we two".  For my part of the cooking, I am baking bread.  Ironic that I don't normally eat it, because it's one thing I make really well.

So a loaf of sourdough and a loaf of multi-grain, with special butters to go with.  I learned both the bread making and the herbed butters when playing in the SCA (y'know, those silly people who play like they live in medieval times).  I make Scarborough Butter and Spiced Honey Butter--both are super easy.

For each, you want to really soften however much butter you want to make (it freezes, so make plenty).  Then you decide which one (or both?) you want to make.  It's always good to make these several days ahead of serving, to let the flavors develop.

For the Scarborough Butter, add--you guessed it--sage, rosemary, and thyme.  The parsley goes on the plate as a garnish.  Use an herb grinder to grind the dried herbs into powder...I don't measure, I just put "oh, 'bout that much" into the grinder.  If you like strongly seasoned stuff, use a lot.  You can always add more butter if it's too strong.  Salt it too, if you like.  Blend well, then pour into muffin tins.  Refrigerate, then when you're ready to serve it, you can sit the muffin tin into a bath of warm water for a minute and they'll pop right out.  They look nice on pretty china saucers.

The Spiced Honey Butter wants pumpkin pie spices--allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little ginger.  Same seasoning rule applies here: you can always add more butter.  Mix in honey to the melted butter--I do measure this: about 1/4 cup per three sticks of butter.  Stir it all together, and put this in muffin tins too.

Hope your day is full of fun and laughter and good memories, whether there are few or many of you gathered together.  There's a lot to be thankful for.

Fall has fallen!

We actually have leaves turning color, and chilly temperatures that might. just. stay.  We can only hope, right?  I know folks who live up north who would tell me to be happy for the warmth, but we get enough warmth with our summers.  The hubs is not happy--he's a Phoenix boy, born and bred, so he'd be happy if it never got below 60.

I drove up to Fredericksburg this Tuesday to visit Edyth O'Neill.  We had a great day of "visiting" with dolls, as well as working in her garden a little bit, and setting up a couple of Christmas trees.  I look forward to when she posts her decoration photos--she has a good eye for display, and the antiques to do it up right!

A pile o' Izzies...and some un-Izzies, but they're all welcome.

Is it just me, or do their imperfections make them better?

Virginia visiting with Hannah.

On my way out the door, Edyth had me prune the culinary sage that grows near the porch, so I was able to bring home an armload of it!  I love sage, and so far have not been able to grow it successfully.  Fredericksburg is up in the hill country, a little less humid than down here.  I won't give up trying to grow it, but neither will I turn down an armload of organic sage!  As soon as I got home, I separated out the bundles to hang for drying (our office smells wonderful right now) and shared some with my neighbor across the street who loves to cook.

Lovely sage.  Enough to share, and to dry and store for a long time.

The Schultz supervised the Sage Bundling operation.  Very fragrant business that is.  When we came in, Willie wanted to know why we smelled so "herby".

The Schultz on his throne. 

One nosy cat.

Work on the Izannah dolls continues, with a few added tasks, so I press on.  Body suits first, and then clothes.  I'd get more done if I could just stay on track...but who's to say if those little tangents don't add to the art?  That's my story, anyway.  Nevertheless, we know what I'll be doing over the holidays.

Have a fabulous weekend!