A big Happy Thanksgiving to my American pals! Enjoy every minute whether with family and friends or quietly with just yourselves. Hope the eating is great and please be sure to tell me all about it later.
Hubby got his annual Advent calendar from daughter...chocolate of course.
He is a tiny bit Grinchish when it comes to Christmas and he has a wife whose family are quite the opposite. He goes along. I have littler grandson spending his PA day with us tomorrow to help me with our Christmas decorating. This is year 3 he has done that with me and a really fun day for us both.
Last year, in charge of the tree.
No matter the season but especially now, my baking is still comfort food...more muffins. I made another batch of
Pear, Blueberry and Bran and froze them. They thaw well and this prevents drying out which I find muffins do rather quickly. This is
an old original recipe from Kellogg's, easy to follow and allows for substitutions (in this case pumpkin seeds and fruit) and who doesn't need bran. I find them satisfying and filling with a pieced of aged cheddar or Havarti and not as guilty as eating cake or pie even though I know they might match up calorie wise (but I don't count calories).
I'm trying to add more
ginger to our diets. Fresh ginger in sauces and stir fries. I keep Ginger Chews in the house and crystallized ginger for baking. Like all these things I don't know how much of it you would have to ingest for it to really matter. But I think I'll buy some ginger tea. I have green tea but you know what, I'm not that fond of it. Only wish I were.
In the sewing room, I'm cutting more Dresden blades, sewing more tiny blocks for the Baskets border and prepping the
Quiltmania Advent blocks for hand stitching.
Here is Block One, the Star, almost done. These are tiny so stitch up quickly. The gray is showing up more brownish in this photo and the red is definitely redder in real life; it is beautiful fabric to work with. I am getting more cavalier about cutting into "good" fabric, here one of the French Generals for Christmas.
Another amazing designer...
Temecula Quilt Company is hosting a
Tiny Tree Sew Along starting December 4th. It looks really cute and a great way to dive into that green stash. I'll be keeping an eye on it.
I was so pleased to see this article in our Nature Conservacy magazine. Doctors prescribing nature! An amazing concept! Who ever thought this day would come or need to come for that matter. I, like so many of you, grew up with the idea- a given really, that fresh air is good for us. Finally scientists agree.
I love a good shop and that goes for armchair shopping too. I don't mind being a window shopper. I read this article and thought it had neat things certainly worth checking out. Especially good stocking stuffers.
36 Amazing Things Under $20 On Amazon That Keep Selling Out
Being Amazon Prime, we get next day delivery which totally boggles my little mind. How can they do that! Of course I will be checking out Black Friday deals too.
And
Etsy has Cyber week deals of 60% off so I will be taking a peek there too.
Rainfall took away a lot of our snow but the ice has remained solid in the pond. We were intrigued by the stunning designs that appeared like magic. Google says they are ice octopi or ice spiders, a common phenomena when a freezing then thawing pattern occurs.
Brave Murphy is the only one still walking on it. She enjoys feeling special and we laugh because she looks back at us like
are you watching me.
And it was the glint of it that caught my eye... thaw with rain then freezing made this spikey spray on the tired worn out milkweed pod catch the sun. I had to marvel at the beauty of hundreds of tiny beads of ice.
I know there is a general negative aura these days about the environment but we mustn't forget it is still very much an amazing
bird-singing, flower-growing world. It is still in our hands and within our sights to savour and enjoy and yes, especially to protect and keep it that way.
Permit me a little flag waving this morning too about Canada. Acknowledgement of what a wonderful country we have and a reminder we are priviledged to live here enjoying the freedoms and rights and peacefulness, even if the winters are darn long!
Canada ranked number 1 in global quality of life for its citizens.
Happy Thursday All!
Linking as always with
Not Afraid of Color,
Brian's Home Blog,
Floral Friday Foto,
Powered By Quilting,
Alycia Quilts and
It's A Small Town Life.
30 comments :
You should be proud of Canada-your country is a favorite of millions of people around the world. What a cool Advent Calendar. Ill bet your excited about decorating with your grandson! How fun. Ginger has a bitter taste to me but I know how good it is for our health so I drink the teas where it is mixed with fruit flavors as well. Love French General fabric- those stars will be lovely. Enjoy your day! mary
Congrats Canada! I believe that you have the happiest people--at least from what I experienced with my Canadian friends. I love the photos of the ice and crystals--Murphy's courage is amazing!!! Love your projects! I think I have some blocks of Christmas trees that I made from scraps years ago, thankful you mentioned that, might have to do something during my break! Have a wonderful day Jocelyn! Thankful for your friendship!
I think Canada is a wonderful country and wish the US would be more like it - although the two countries are a lot a like there are plenty of differences.
I have a ginger licorice tea it has a nice taste to it - I order it from Harney's and Son tea.
I don't care for plain green tea and have to have it mixed with mint or something
Have fun decorating the tree - we planned on doing it while our younger daughter was here but we never got to it then the night we thought to it started to rain hard and no one wanted to go the workshop in the rain to get the boxes! We will do it at the end of the first week of December instead
The tiny tree, with 2.5 inch blocks, beautiful.And to have special assistance with decorations, a time to remember and see the progress through his years. Muffins, healthy,filling,and never mind the calories.
You´re so right... we need to feel nature and the respect for animals inside, deeply inside and then it changes into pride and love for where we are and what the goods are that our country gives us. Peace and food and a warm place to stay at isn´t granted (is this how you say it?) and the nature is fragile... we all need to take our responsibility of keeping it healthy.
Nana
Your neck of the woods is so beautiful and thank you for the Thanksgiving Day wishes. We always have so much to be thankful for.
Your ice pictures are beautiful, Jocelyn! Your muffins sound yummy. I just discovered a new Celestial Seasonings herbal tea that I like, Jammin' Lemon Ginger. The hint of ginger is a good taste, surprising me! I'm interested in the Temecula tiny tree sew along, too. It will be fun to see what happens with that! Have a lovely day!
My goodness, ice spiders on your lake, never heard of that before. How brave Murphy is to walk on the ice, I would be terrified I would fall in. Like you, I'm watching for the Christmas Tree design. Don't really need to make any more Christmas stuff, but the, why not!
That last picture is a masterpiece.
They are lovely photos. I just love the changes. I mean, as soon as we kick this cold.
Yay, Canada.
So many great likes. Your photo of the milkweed pod reminded me of the snow, ice dripping off the barn. There was a breeze and the icicles were all curled backwards like that too. The ice on the pond is awesome. I had ice on the pool cover then it warmed up and got windy. Watching the wind break up the ice was fascinating. Gorgeous fabrics. Enjoy your time with the little helper.
Happy Thanksgiving to you! We had ten at our table and had such a good time. Saw my granddog, too and showed her her new scarves that I made for her. Played a game with the grand kids and after everyone left, we went to the Ralph Lauren Polo store where my husband works to Christmas shop. They let all the employees come in early to shop before Black Friday and they got a big discount, so boy, did we shop. I usually don't shop on Thanksgiving or Black Friday so this was a first. That was our day.
You captured beautiful photos of the ice! Maybe translate them into a mini quilt?
Thanks for the Temucula sew a long link. Looks nice might give it a go. Have a wonderful time with your grandson creating nice memories on xmas trees.
Hi Jocelyn! Oh the pattern on the ice is so stunning! And Murphy - brave enough to walk on it and have it captured on film. Gotta love a brave dog! Your muffins look yummy and your grandson decorating your tree is so helpful and handsome. Thank you for the Thanksgiving wishes - I had a fabulous two days. ~smile~ Roseanne
Thank you for the Thanksgiving greeting. And let me just say there are many here in the US who are appalled at our President's treatment of your country and it's leaders. And yay, for the soothing effects of getting out in nature. This is much research on the beneficial effects of nature on stress relief and general well-being. I brew my own ice tea and combine green tea, black tea, raspberry, and peach herbal tea. Have fun decorating with your grandson.
Pat
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I'll be joining along with the Tiny Tree sew along! A cute little manageable "new extra" for Christmas decorating this year! Have a grand time decorating with your little helper! :-)
I've been looking for a house "out in the country" for a long time now...the air in the area I live now has gone downhill considerably since I moved here 23 years ago... I'm hoping to be moving Spring 2020! :-)
What beauty you have surrounding you! Sometimes I envy your colder weather, but I'd probably turn into a hermit during winter - lol. I love all the French General lines of fabric and find myself hoarding it. Thanks for the Thanksgiving greetings. We will celebrate on Saturday this year to accommodate our kids' travel plans.
Thanks for joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!!!
Looks cold there - you could ice skate on the pond! LOL. I like your stars - pretty fabrics and the tree is going to be cute! Xmas tree helper is so cute! Enjoy!
I enjoyed your lovely post this morning! Isn't it great to be able to get packages so quickly? Ours take 2 days, but still!! So fun. We are bracing for a winter doozy of a storm. Nothing yet, but predicting 12-15 inches by morning and 50-60 mph winds. Good thing I have several projects started! "giggle"
I'm going to keep a watch on that cute Temecula quilt along too--just not sure I need another Christmas project, though. Your little Dresdens will be so cute! I don't think I've ever seen the ice do that jagged design--pretty cool!
Dr. Prescribing nature. I believe in it, nothing is more breathtaking than a nice walk in the woods, at the beach or in the mountains.
Your grandson will cherish the memories you make, decorating the tree. My 8 year old granddaughter loves it too. Every year a highlight!
Yea for Canada! We'd enjoy living there but it's gonna be hard to get permits after dh retires. Murphy is a beauty, and brave. Dresden plates are so sweet, I could make lots of them too, and can't wait to see what you're doing with those. Handwork? Love, Leeanna
Always such fun things to read about in your posts. I love the photo of the milkweed pod - definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time!
I wish I felt I could wave MY flag. I can't say more than that lest my thoughts turn to a rant. Thanks so much for the link to the bran muffin recipe. When I was in high school I worked in a bakery after school. One of my favorite things there were the bran muffins. I have never found a recipe as good as theirs so I am eager to give this recipe a try. AND, you sent me off to the Google Machine to find out why you are infatuated with Ginger. So here I sit adding it to my grocery list and again I thank you. OMGosh, I don't think I have seen one of those chocolate advent calendars. If I had, I would have bought one to send off to Nic. Fresh air. We have always made a point of spending time in Nature enjoying fresh air. I will admit that we take credit for the fact that my grandson takes his family on a hike every Sunday with out fail, unless they go to the dog beach instead. Luckily we live in an area that is still considered rural so we are happy to get fresh air in our own yard. My knee and hip are limiting how far my feet can go wandering. Our pond has not stayed frozen. Just yesterday there was a racoon in the back yard, in daylight hours, that I watched actually swim across it.
Have a great weekend.
xx, Carol
I love all of this post - but! that it included Chocolate, a dog, and out of doors - you stole my heart... before I even ohhed and ahhed at the quilts!! ha!!!
Hi Jocelyn, I love your blog, your needlework and your love of nature. I share the same. :)
Yep, we bellyache a little about the winter from time to time, but Canada is a very special place to live, and in reality I would never wish to live elsewhere. And when it is cold I can dress up and stay warm, but when the heat is as oppressive as it is in so many parts of the world there is no escaping it. Vive Le Canada.
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