About Christmas This and That…

Oh my on Saturday it was -18C and you know we were off work for the afternoon because of the snow on Friday?  Well this morning I drove about 40 minutes southward to the next closest Pier 1 looking for another 2 of the red and white bird plates.  The roads were white and shiny slick because of the cold and it was a touch slippy too.  I was able to find another 2 of them oh I wanted to get another 6 to make 8 and probably I’ll be sorry later.  Anyway now I have one for each of the 4 white dinner plates I showed you on Friday.  And I found these darling white birdie salt and pepper shakers to go with them.  Aren’t they lovely?   And I found these red on clear striped vinyl placemats they are sitting on.   I can really use them all year long so that’ll be nice.  *clapping*  Merry Christmas to Judi!

I’ve been looking at the gifts I am getting ready to wrap and I’m listening to Enya.  Do you like Enya?    While I was at Chapters on the night I found the birdie plates next door in Pier 1 I stopped to listen to the music being played.  This is the 2nd time I’ve gone into Chapters and come out with the CD I hear them playing.   This is a new CD called “When Winter Came”.  I find the music so hauntingly beautiful.  It is suited for Christmas but also for winter and I know if I’m not sick and tired of it before long because I’ve been playing it over and over and over…I could listen to it all year long too…while I’m eating off the red and white bird plates all year long..*lol*. 

and…. I made some Swedish Nuts last week.   They are very yummy and very easy to make. 

To make them you’ll need:

3 cups of nuts – I used a mix of walnuts and pecans

2 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 stick of butter

1 tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F

Whip the egg whites until you have soft peaks and then add the sugar and continue whipping to form harder peaks.  Then add the vanilla..whip that in.   Stir in the nuts and continuing stirring until the nuts are well covered.

Place the butter in a jelly roll pan and into the oven to melt. 

 

Carefully stir it around to cover the bottom as it melts.  Add the nuts mixture over the butter.   Bake for 35 minutes stopping to stir the nuts 4 times while they bake. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.  Keeps well in a tight tin container.  I keep some of it in this drinking mug which has a tight lid but not tight enough to stop nibblers from testing them.  Yummmmmmmm…

I am also sharing 2 of my favourite Santas.   The one on the right was a gift from the parents of a young lady Geoff went out with years ago.  The one on the left I made a dozen years ago.  His body is a wood block which I’ve fattened and softened with pillow filling.  I made his face out of paper mache and sewed his jacket and clothes which I think make him look quite festive.  His arms are padded and covered wire and they can be moved up and down.  His hair is a bit scraggly but I guess its wind blown from all that flying in his sled.   Every year when I take him out I think I’d like to make a few others that are different from him but so far I just enjoy him on his own.