December 26, 2012
December 24, 2012
CHRISTMAS 2012 || MERRY AND BRIGHT
December 24, 2012EACH year I find, and often make, a Christmas decoration for the children. They're all adults now and the eldest of the four has a ...
EACH year I find, and often make, a Christmas decoration for the children. They're all adults now and the eldest of the four has a child of her own. It's a tradition I'll carry on for as long as I'm able, adding the number of decorations I stitch or find as the brood grows.
PS: For the longer term readers of this blog, you may recognise these decorations as an even longer-term UnFinished Object, or UFO.
PSS: For all the readers of this humble blog, Merry Christmas. If you celebrate the season, may it be truly be merry and memorable, and may all the days of 2013 be bright.
December 23, 2012
CHRISTMAS 2012 || FINISHING TOUCHES
December 23, 2012THE finishing touches are being put to our Christmas festivities. Facebook // Twitter // Instagram
December 16, 2012
CHRISTMAS 2012 || PREPARING HEARTH AND HOME
December 16, 2012AMID the planning for Christmas Day's gathering and feast, I've been preparing the house to look the best it can on the day. ...
AMID the planning for Christmas Day's gathering and feast, I've been preparing the house to look the best it can on the day.
My partner thinks I am insane but this is our hearth, the roof over our heads, the shelter where a family has been raised. It's seen all and it's been steadfast. It's welcomed people over that front step, it's endured slamming doors, it's seen us gather around a table again and again and again. It's been remade in pieces by us and the sole family - all three generations of it - that lived here before us. For me, it's as important as all those who will gather here on Christmas Day.
Cobwebs have been cleared, panelling dusted and washed down and that grand table setting at our back door has been washed down and oiled.
If you're as nutty as me, you too might like to try my furniture oil. It's ideal for wood outdoor furniture but used sparingly does a beautiful job on indoor furniture. Consider it my gift to your house.
LINSEED FURNITURE OIL
300mL linseed oil
300mL mineral turpentine
150mL white vinegar
150mL methylated spirits
December 13, 2012
CHRISTMAS 2012 || A CHOICE TO MAKE IT SIMPLE
December 13, 2012THIS year my partner and I have chosen to keep Christmas simple. It seems right. It's been an unsettling year and we're looking ...
THIS year my partner and I have chosen to keep Christmas simple.
It seems right. It's been an unsettling year and we're looking forward to ending it on a high with a gathering in our home on Christmas Day.
This year will be all about what each of us can bring to the celebration. My Mum has a list of treats she and my Dad will bring. My sister and I have been planning and ordering the cold meats and fruit. We picked up a spare bar fridge from our eldest this weekend and have decided it'll house the pavlova and trifle. Others will be responsible for filling the Esky with their favourite tipples.
There'll not be a lot under the tree and what's there will be things people have asked for. There are few surprises but that's OK. We've had a year of surprises. Some have rattled, some delighted; many have bound us together in ways none of us could have imagined.
Cards will soon be filled with messages from the year past and well wishes for the year to come. Friends will celebrate around our table or at events organised to bring far-flung folk together and many will part with gifts we've made to share, a cutting from from the garden or a bunch of fresh herbs. It's the way the season should be.
Saved jars are filling with banana and ginger chutney; shortbreads, pecan balls and gingerbread men are passing through our oven with increasing regularity; and I am putting the finishing touches to home made decorations.
I'm looking forward to this Christmas. I really am.
December 10, 2012
CHRISTMAS 2012 BAKING || PECAN BALLS
December 10, 2012THE Christmas baking has started. The pecan balls were a hit, so much so I may have gorged on the trial batch. It's an easy recipe, pu...
THE Christmas baking has started. The pecan balls were a hit, so much so I may have gorged on the trial batch.
It's an easy recipe, pulled straight from the pages of my favourite cook book.
PECAN BALLS
125g butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, chopped (I put mine through a quick burst in the blender to chop them)
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla and stir in the pecans. Stir in the flour in two batches until the mixture forms a dough. Roll out small balls onto a tray lined with baking paper and bake in a 180C oven for 12-15mins. They're a shortbread of sorts so keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Remove from the oven. While they're warm roll them in the icing sugar. I thought mine were still too warm for this. I think I could have waited until they were a little cooler.