Happy New Year!

I wish you all a bright and prosperous New Year. Having a prosperous year means many things to many people. It can be the joy in your life or a new job or change in other financial circumstances.

2011 has been a good year for my family. I have been out of work yet the time has been a blessing as it has afforded me time to be with my grandchildren, including the beautiful baby girl we welcomed in June. I have been able to pinch hit when the sitter cancelled and attend fun events that will make memories for all of us. My husband has enjoyed having me be here when he gets home from work (he rises before daylight and returns while the sun still shines.) we have taken off for walks or early movies and avoided the afternoon rush at Costco or the mall. It has been interesting....and while somewhat stressful, I would not trade the time spent with my loved ones.

I have also gotten in touch with my creativity, which had laid aside like a discarded rug for quite some time. Ideas are popping in my head that I will need to start writing down. Maybe this will be a fork in the road of sitting at a computer all day with a regimented schedule. I also love my volunteer work....something that has just grown so that I don't want to give that up either.

So for 2012....will I teach more sewing classes? Sew and sell more doll clothes or other fun accessories to pamper womanly needs or....get that desk job?  Time will tell and the Good Lord will reveal His plan for me soon enough.

In the meantime! Resolve to look at the bright side of 2011 and think of the opportunity waiting for you in 2012....

Merry Christmas!

May the blessings of the seasons be upon you each day as we celebrate the joys of Christmas.

And all through the house....

This Christmas has been a challenge with Emma and Ginger, our two adolescent cats. Just like other cats before them they instantly made way to make the space  underneath the tree their fort.  But unlike our other cats before them, they look upon the tree as their own personal mobile and like a child, enjoy reaching out to the splendors above. On a quiet evening spent relaxing below while we watched Christmas movies, they enjoyed open season on this new territory. I was horrified by this scene when I came upstairs after the movie. My husband laughed surprisingly and we both took to straightening up this playground but first I had to shoot pictures or the family would hardly believe the scope of this escapade and would put it all down to embellishing the story for the telling!  

                  

I found Ginger rolling around the Christmas tree skirt.                                                                                             How he moved this from under the tree remains a mystery!

Apparently they like lighthouses as much as I do!  

Do they like Santa or just his jingle bell on the tip of the hat?

Emma loves being under the tree on her terms. Her new favorite game is batting around anything that moves so she can have the pleasure of watching the tree shake!

He is deciding which side he loves best on his delicate coat: the velvet or the satin!
Needless to say, there are no presents waiting under the tree yet.
However, both Emma and Ginger are learning the meaning of the word no. And, to  ease your minds on kitty safety, measures have been taken to protect them from mishap and mayhem. 

Hand-Me Down Pie Pans

My  Betty Crocker Cookbook, with its spine covered in duct tape has  seen my through  holidays and regular days so I don't have the heart to replace it.

Here is my favorite pumpkin pie recipe;
 you can't see them but there are spots on the pages from busy baking days gone by. 

 When I got ready to bake my Thanksgiving pies I brought out all my tools for perfect pies. Not the latest tools but pans passed down through generations in my family. Some are not quite that old but showing signs of wear. My rolling pin was a wedding shower gift to me over 40 years ago! 

This pie pan was my grandmother's. I love its unique shape and wonder how many different pies she baked in this pan. Maybe my mother helped her bake pies with this pan when she was a girl.

This Wearever deep dish pan belonged to my husband's grandmother.
 Looking inside, I wonder how many pieces of pie have been sliced in this aluminum pan.

This Pyrex pan is from my Grandmother. I struggled with the handles at first. Learning to make crust easily became one of my earliest baking frustrations as a bride. My sister baked a beautiful pie every week for her husband and for the longest time I couldn't follow in her footsteps for my husband. I tried old fashioned lard and then shortening to no avail. Next I thought how easy it would be to make the oil pastry. Wrong again. My neighbor helped me with this problem over tea during nap time for our girls.  Following her advice  using ice cubes in the water the recipe called for made it easier.  

Another Pyrex from Grandma, this one a simple 9" size, just right for the two of us.
 I didn't realize Pyrex held a place of honor  in a homemaker's kitchen for so many years until I discovered
the company incorporated in 1915. She likely replaces a pan here or there as the years went by. Knowing both women used these pans and kept them free from nicks and chips for many years I treasure them.