Christmas Count-Down

Pattern: Sock Recipe: A Good Plain Sock, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Yarn:  Lollipop Yarn Quintessential, Christmas Carol colorway

Needles: size 1-1/2

Are you a member of my tribe? The tribe that slides into Christmas hoping that everything is done? I do know people who are so organized that everything is completed by Thanksgiving. All gifts bought and wrapped. Menus made. Freezer stocked. 

That is not me. I wish it was, but I'm not made that way. Now that you know that, you'll understand that this is likely my last blog post until after Christmas. There is still much to do. And my list is mostly in my head. (Maybe I should write it down?)

Wooden reindeer made by my dad years ago.

On the up side, I finished my Christmas socks last night. A whole WEEK before Christmas. The plan is to wear these with my green plaid pajamas on Christmas morning. And the couple of hand knitted gifts are done. The house is decorated—in my "less is more" style.

I finished the angel costume and got to see our little angel sing in her preschool concert. 200 adorable costumed little people all lined up on risers, singing their hearts out. So much excitement.

Now I'm reading the book.

We've entered a new stage of life. The one where our grown children have to split their holidays between families. I totally understand that. So we had the newlyweds here for this past weekend and went to see Hamilton with them. What a treat! And they will be back for New Years. Can't complain.

The other family (with the grandchildren) arrives this weekend. That means I have a few days left to tie up loose ends. To madly practice music. (Mommy is singing a solo at church on Christmas Eve, with me accompanying her. Not much pressure there. ) To make a menu plan and a grocery list to get us through Christmas. Then I'll regroup and shop again for the post-Christmas week.

I love that this nativity set is the first thing I see as I walk in the front door. It's a reminder that the very first Christmas didn't require extravagant decorations, huge meals, lots of baking, or mad shopping sprees. That first Christmas was simple. It was messy. It wasn't carefully organized. (A baby born in a barn?) It was filled with uncertainty. And it blessed the world.

Hand lettering—my new hobby.

My wish for you is that you find some empty spaces in this coming week to just "be." To breathe, to appreciate, to contemplate. To have a cup of coffee in front of the tree in the morning quiet before the day gets started. To walk outside, even if it's just in your yard. Find some Christmas calm. It's there somewhere. 

Merry Christmas to you all!

Luke 2:8-14  (KJV)

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And It's Not Officially Winter Yet

Now, you dear readers who live in places like Minnesota or New York or Alaska, let me explain about Southerns and snow. Or, sleet. We have a reputation of going a little crazy when winter weather descends upon use, doing things like buying all the bread and milk off store shelves in a couple of hours. As soon as the televison meteorologist says the "S" word.

The highway department does the best they can to clear major highways. But those of us on secondary roads or on country roads, just have to wait for things to melt. That's why everything closes with just an inch or two of snow on the ground. Folks who have moved down south laugh at us. "What on earth? We don't stop when it snows!" But these weather events happen so seldom that it isn't economically practical to have enough road equipment to clear all the roads. Especially when it will all be gone in a day or two.

Yesterday was one of "those days." We didn't get snow at the farm. It was pure sleet here. (Thirty minutes up the road got 6-8 inches of snow.)  So churches were closed. Restaurants were closed. Stores were closed. A baby shower was cancelled. Roads were all white. All frozen over. It was a stay-at-home kind of day.

Here's what we do on a day like that...

We look out the windows. A lot. 

Is it going to be a dusting? Will there be enough to measure with a ruler?

It sleeted all morning. About an inch.

I stay in flannel pajamas and drink lots of hot coffee

and make a big pot of vegetable soup.

Daddy-O, on the other hand, bundles up and heads out to feed the cows.

Farm chores happen every day, regardless of the weather.

I wrap presents. 

Nearly done!

Daddy-O finishes his outside chores 

and is happy to get back inside where it's warm.

And he makes fancy hot chocolate.

This cup is for me to enjoy while I watch Christmas movies.

Thankfully, we didn't lose power yesterday like thousands of people in neighboring counties did. Many are still in the dark and in the cold, waiting for the power crews to put everything back together.

And today here at the farm? All the white has melted. Except for a few spots around the shrubbery. It looks like most December days. In just over 24 hours, our wonderland has come and gone. That's how we do winter weather. (And it's not even "winter" yet!)

In One Weekend

Apple Cake

Before I left at the end of last week, I baked a quick-to-make cake for Daddy-O so he would not feel neglected or forgotten. So quick to stir together that I mixed it while still in my pajamas. Popped it in the oven to bake while I took a shower. With nearly an hour baking time, I had plenty to time to get ready before it was done.

The apple cake was ready for Daddy-O to sample before I left. He came in from feeding cows and was happy to find a treat waiting. A warm cake, fresh out of the oven.

My weekend trip to see the grandchildren had a two-fold mission. One...make sure that Baby Girl had an angel costume for her preschool Christmas program. And two...to attend Little Sister's piano recital. Soon after I arrived at their house, I pulled out the little sewing machine I bought the last time I was there and set it up on their dining room table and set to work.

Baby Girl discovered she did not like trying on garments in progress. She didn't like getting stuck by the pins in the first try-on. Who would? But her mommy told her that a few sticks are part of having a mommy or grandmother that sews for you. Thankfully, when it was done, she climbed up on the sofa to see herself in the mirror and all was good.

Little Sister had her Christmas piano recital the next day and played like a seasoned professional. Having an audience didn't seem to bother her in the least. I was so happy that they live close enough now that I could go watch her play.

And the *next* day, I loaded up and pulled out of their driveway an hour before the sun came up and drove straight to church in time to ring handbells at our morning worship service. It's a three hour drive. This time a third of it was in the dark, in the rain, in the fog.

And when my very tired self finally got back to my own house, I found the best surprise waiting for me. A dear friend had created a yarn advent calendar for me! A yarn a day from now until Christmas. For the first time in forever, we do not have a paper advent calendar in our house. I made sure the children (grown and little ones) all got home. But somehow I skipped us. Thanks to this friend, we will count down the days until Christmas with yarn. (There was also the perfect knitter Christmas mug tucked in that stuffed-full-box.)

And in a blink, the whirlwind weekend was over.This morning I'm in recovery mode. Sometimes if Daddy-O wakes up before me, he brings me coffee in bed. I asked last night that if that happened today, please bring it in a Christmas mug. And that's what happened. He is THE best.

Here is the recipe for the "one bowl apple cake" that took two bowls. One bowl for the wet ingredients and the apples and one bowl to mix the flour and baking powder together. The cake begs to be served with a cup of coffee or tea. Or, maybe a glass of milk. Daddy-O did tell me that after a few days (I left him with a whole cake to eat by himself) it got "wet and sticky". So maybe this is best eaten in the first day or two.

ONE BOWL APPLE CAKE (that really takes two bowls)

2 eggs

1-3/4 cups sugar

2 leaping teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup oil

6 medium apples

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, cinnamon and oil. Peel and slice the apples directly into the bowl, stirring them in as you go to keep them from turning brown. (I sliced them thin.)

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well until all of the flour is absorbed by the wet ingredients. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan, or two 9-inch round pans. Bake for 50-55 minutes for 9x13 pan. Might be less if you use the round pans.

I will admit that I had my doubts about this recipe when it was mixed up. It looked like apple slices barely coated with batter. But it baked into a lovely cake, crusty on top and dense with apples. 

As I was trying to salvage some files from an old computer, I found this recipe that I had saved years ago. Glad I stumbled across it and was able to print it out. That old computer is on it's very last legs.