Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Going Nutty


Hello, hello! It all started with a few acorns I collected in my pocket. Really. I kept stepping on them all over the sidewalks & grass.



After spending countless hours matching the caps to the acorns, and convincing myself I still needed more...they are far too cute to leave helplessly lying on the ground (and abandoned by squirrels!)



Not certain of a shape, I decided to use a 12" x 12" set of stretcher bars I had lying around. And I am quite pleased with the outcome. The recipient (mom), was quite pleased as well =) Not too difficult, more like a puzzle trying to sort out what fits & where. I think I might have brought in an ant or two as well. And maybe a few grubbs =o





xo

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Winter-y Nights, and Fairy Lights

Hello, Hello & Merry Christmas Eve!
A picturesque posting of some lights & decorations from around town =)



























Happy Christmas everyone!

xo

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Sugary Dreams


Cranberry Hootycreeks

I found this recipe at recipezaar and they are scrumptious! Very moist & the perfect mix of tart cranberries & sugary white chocolate.

Prep:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup rolled oat
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Baking:
Combine flour, baking soda and salt.
Cream butter, then add sugars, eggs & vanilla.
Mix in flour mixture & oats, then cranberries, chips & nuts.
Drop by spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 min.
Makes 3 doz. Cookies


Ooey Gooey White Chocolate Brownies

and this bit of white chocolate-y goodness came from
Duh-licious

Prep:
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Baking:
1. Preheat oven at 350'C
2. Cream butter and sugar, and add the ingredients in the order listed.
3. Pour batter in a greased 9x12 rectangular pan (or similar)
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and tooth pick comes out clean when inserted in the centre

Large amounts of sugar tend to give me horrible nightmares. I think I'm in for some sleepless nights (until the cookies are gone!)

Friday, December 11, 2009

Paper & Pine

and a bit of peppermint too. My tree! Christmas trees are rather tricky to perfectly capture (for me anyway!)





and this years greetings, a bit different for me - but i do love how they came out!





Happy Holiday-ing, everyone!

xo

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Woe is Me, I Said to the Tree

Just a little tale from this evening's Fir Tree adventure (luckily, no cameras were involved). Never one to have a modest, nor simple tree, I always opt for the one that is Clark Griswold size, regardless of the space I am fitting it in. So, I drove home with the tree poking me in the back of the head, unable to see out of the rear or passenger side mirrors. I could have had it strapped to the top of my car, which is what I've done ever since I made the mistake of putting it inside. I'm still finding pine needles from trees long since past!

And just because I am stubborn (me?), and had a few other bits and bobs to grab from the store, I had the ever-so-kind lad struggle to squeeze a just over 8ft tree inside my car. Yes, I've just condemned my car to a lifetime supply of dried up fir needles.

Arriving home, to an empty house (four legged critters aren't much help in cases like this) - do I attempt to bring it in on my own, or leave it in the car overnight? I'm certain you already know the answer to this. Once I dragged it out of the back of the car and it was on the ground, there was no turning back. That tree was coming up those 20 or so steps with me, one way or another. Two steps at a time. Wow. I think I might have passed out and not even known. Where did my pulse go? I somehow became Wonder Woman for a brief moment in time.

I decided I really should turn the outside light off. Pulling an 8ft+ tree up a flight of stairs in the dark is most definitely the safest thing to do (especially when you could be seen by passer-byes!) Getting it up the stairs was only half the battle, now it was trying to turn it to get it through the door. I prevailed! Sap in my hair, sap on the cat, bruised thumbs - now all I have to do is get it in the stand. Oh, darn. It doesn't fit. The trunk is too big.

I'd never had this problem before. Did i just purchase a mutant tree? Not giving up just yet. Back in the car, back to the store. I am now the proud owner of tree stand for "husky" trees. Yay! It fits! But...there is one low hanging branch preventing me from getting it in the stand properly. Let me put one of those Henckels knives to good use. Twenty minutes later I realised that knives do not make good saws, no matter how sharp they are! But again, I eventually won.

The tree is in the stand, and upright! I didn't say it was straight - but I'll save that 'til morn.

If only I'd opted for the smaller, modest tree, hehe =)

I'll post photos this weekend once she is decorated in gleaming orbs of silver and red (and a bit of peppermint swirl), and sparkling with thousands of lights =)

xo