Lamb Barley Soup

We had a fantastic roast leg of lamb for Christmas dinner.... slow cooked with lots of garlic, onion, fresh thyme and rosemary!   Today I made an equally delicious soup from the leftovers ~ a suggestion from my daughter-in-law.  Great idea!

Ingredients:  Beef broth, red wine, tomatoes, the usual veggies, marjoram, thyme, garlic and barley.  Don't forget the lamb!

1909 Christmas Cards

Here are special holiday cards for special friends made from printing images of 1909 vintage cards onto cotton, then sewing them to heavy parchment blank cards.   I think it worked very well.  

Deer in the Garden - Summer & Winter

The deer arrive at dusk to see what I have left them in my compost pile.  No wonder they check out the garden buffet in the summer.  

Ready or not......

We have shoveled out from that beautiful snowstorm, the tree is up and decorated and company is coming whether we are ready or not....  This morning I left home early under a beautiful blue sky with the cold sun making hoar frost glisten on every twig and clump of weeds.  It was 2* ~ crispy and crunchy!  A few errands to run, then back home I found the mantel looking especially pretty on this bright day.  Every year I decorate it differently and I rather like the lace, candles and poinsettias.  The candle holders are etched red flash antiques from my husband's Aunt Martha.... a treasure.




And, of course, any pie will do anytime......... I made a chicken pot pie for dinner last night.  It was especially delicious!  I was short of time so picked up a hot ready-cooked chicken from the grocery, cooked a pot full of veggies slightly, made a white sauce, topped it all with a freshly blended pie crust, popped it in the oven while I made
a salad and..... voila!   Perfect winter supper!

Lake Effect Snow

The sledding is terrific on our steep driveway. How we love that first significant lake effect snowstorm. 18" to 20" of snow fell here. It's been a beautiful week. Hope everyone is safe and warm.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

One of our favorite summer farm markets offers freshly cut trees and homemade wreaths.  We love to get our tree here.   They drill the trunk to fit on a special stand so we aren't struggling with trying to straighten the tree... saves  some stress.  Inside the market is the wood stove for warming chilly fingers and toes.  A pair of kitty siblings snuggle together by the fire.   Frenchy Groleau established this farm, but has recently passed away.  Many French Canadians settled in this region.   Frenchy had some great stories about the early days and we miss him.  Thankfully his family is carrying on.

Arts & Crafts Finale

A remaining treasure from my final holiday arts and crafts show is this small collection of beaded and embroidered birds made from felted vintage blankets.  They hang by a loop of fish line if you wish.  Of course, I made oodles of cardinals in both red and wine and they "flew" off the display.  The weather held and roads were clear for the show this past weekend, but we have since received around 15" of snow in the last 36 hrs.   It is beautiful, but internet service is wonky.   The candles and matches are handy in case of a full blown power outage.  Very cozy!

My neighboring vendors always have tempting products, too.   I bought an ounce of roving from a spinner/knitter and ordered felting needles.  Have no idea what I am going to make, but am looking forward to learning something new.   Feel free to suggest a beginner's project for me.