Valerean

I am being rather annoying about Independence Day this year, but it is America's 250th birthday. Also, I probably won't have too many more chances to celebrate Independence Day in the future. I plan to go to town and watch the hometown parade we always have, and then make a big dinner with lots of treats and wrap up everything with a special dessert and maybe some sparklers. That's all. It's mostly work for me. Why not? I am a patriotic person, and I don't care if it's unfashionable, too much work or a holiday no one cares about. I care. Anyway, I've been collecting little things to use on the fourth. A red white and blue ceramic chip tray with dip bowls decorated with fireworks. Some flag-inspired hot pads. My guy bought some banners to hang on our house, and mini flags to put out along the front walk. I'm also planning a delicious and yet healthy for me meal with lots of protein, veggies, and one or two things that I can nibble on tha...

Sixteen days left until Christmas, my friends. Get that shopping done sooner rather than later. Or make something! I'll have some ideas to share on that in the next couple of posts. Last Saturday my guy and I stopped by the Weavers of Orlando's Holiday Fiber Arts Show and Sale, and it was just as great as last year's. It's amazing to see what these artists make. One lady was demonstrating how to spin yarn from wool roving on a real spinning wheel, and my guy was stunned to see the process. The show was pretty crowded, too, so I wasn't able to take more than a couple shots (the folks in charge kindly gave me permission.) Here's what I scored: two gorgeous hand woven kitchen towels and a lovely skein of handspun art yarn.

Although we've still got over quite a while until Christmas 2024, I am trying to keep my promise and change my attitude toward the holidays. I know, it's far too soon -- unless you're a diehard Scrooge like me. So I really need to start working on myself way early. I've been thinking about the few things I've always liked about the holidays. One thing I really enjoyed doing last year was going to different towns near us to see the light displays. My guy and I would stop for coffee, too. I insisted on going out five different times during 2023 to do this, which I've never done in the past. We need to do that again this year -- and maybe also make the trek up to St. Augustine, as they're supposed to have wonderful light displays, too. As a holiday gift I like making a dessert for our next door neighbors (2023 was homemade French Silk Pie, which everyone loved.) It's a nice gift to give, especially in this day and age when no one has time to...

Writing yesterday's post cheered me up a little, but I have to get some kind of holiday spirit going before Katherine comes home in a few weeks. I don't like much about Christmas, and I never have. I have no good memories of the holidays from childhood, and too many bad ones. From the gifts to the decorations to the special meals, it's a stressful time that involves a tremendous amount of work. Also, no matter how hard I work, I never feel like I do enough. There is some reward in making others happy, but I've never felt any peace, calm or joy during this time of year. Just thinking about all the things I have to do this month exhausts me. I know I've whinged about this in the past, but let me rant a little today. I've always concealed my true feelings and pretended to be happy for the sake of others, but when I say my favorite day of the year is December 26th I'm really not joking. One positive thing I always do at Christmas is donate to a cause ...

Katherine is making progress on her commissioned painting -- some shots I've taken: Edward put up the Christmas tree while I was busy with work: Our holidays are going to be very quiet. Since the virus is surging wildly we've decided not to have anyone over to the house for Christmas, even Oliver and his parents. With all the hospitals rapidly running out of beds it's just too dangerous to risk infection. I'm doing anything I can to keep the three of us isolated from other people. I've also run out of pre-written posts for the blog, and I'm trying to write another 50k this month, so I don't know how often I'll be updating. Hang in with me.

Ten Things I'm Doing Differently to Survive the Holidays Adding Letters to Cards: We don't do a lot of visiting during the holidays, but the few people we usually go to see are all at high-risk for covid-19. So instead they'll be getting a card in the mail with a letter (hopefully handwritten) from me with something funny to boost their spirits. Altering Gift-Giving Strategies: This year I'm going to make at least one gift for the immediate family, which is my usual thing. However, I'm not going to do any shopping at all. Instead I'm opting to send E-gift cards to allow everyone on my list to enjoy a little shopping spree after the holidays. This way I avoid any in-store shopping and the forecasted delays for shipping online shopping purchases. Bake More: In line with my hand made gifts, I'm going to make cookies, cakes or pastries for our immediate neighbors and family friends, and add the recipe to the gift so they can make more if they enjoy...

All the Halloween bags I've made in my spare time this week: It's probably the quickest and easiest bag design I've ever tried, and since it only takes two fat quarters it's economical, too (hardly any waste of fabric, either.) To experiment with sizing I varyied the length of the handles and the amount of cuffing. I also added a velvet ribbon to the one I made for Oliver (the gray and orange, second from the left) which classed it up a bit. Katherine's is the candy corn print, which is her favorite Halloween treat. I'm going to tinker on the design a little more, but I believe I can stop buying paper gift bags now for good. :) (Link to the video tutorial to make these can be found in this post .)

Trying today to see if I can do a text wrap on this post that doesn't look ridiculous. My grandmother never wrote down a recipe for any dish she made; neither did my dad. They just went into the kitchen and made magic, and both of them were fabulous cooks. My daughter is turning out to be the same way. I did not get that gift. I don't mind that I'll never be a chef. I'm a pretty good baker, as it turns out. I do enjoy cooking, too, as long as I have a recipe to follow and it isn't too complicated. Since I'm not able to toss ingredients together to make a delicious dish I've collected cookbooks and cooking magazines over the years; enough to fill this baker's rack. When I was younger Betty Crocker was my old reliable source; most of what I made for dinner dishes came from the big red BC cookbook my mom gave to me when I was a teenager. I still make quite a few for the family, only tweaked to be a little healthier. I now mix in vegan and diabe...

As a family we don't say grace or pray at the table. My guy and I are ex-Catholics (he's agnositc; I'm simply spiritual), and our children are not religious. We always try to respect the beliefs and practices of others, but the guests who will be here for Thanksgiving this year are also not religious. During a holiday dinner I always try to steer the conversation toward good memories, or things that are upbeat. I have lots of holiday cooking stories about my dad which are very happy. I'll also admit to my own disasters, which are pretty funny. I've tried the "Thing you're most grateful for" round the table conversation, but everyone groans when I do so I gave up on that. Bella Grace magazine sent me a link to a free printable list of conversation starters for Thanksgiving that are pretty interesting. I don't think I'll print them or hand them out, but they definitely give me some ideas. Relating to today's post image, I want to...

On behalf of all diabetics out there, here's a dessert you can make for Thanksgiving or the holidays that is sugarfree, vegan, and tastes delicious. Chocolate Nice Cream 2 overripe peeled bananas 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder 2 to 4 teaspoons of plant-based milk Freeze overnight the two bananas. I froze mine whole, but you can slice them up in advance, too. Chop the frozen bananas into thin slices or small chunks, and add to a food processor with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 2 to 4 teaspoons of plant-based milk (it takes me 4 to get the right consistency.) Pulse in your processor (stopping and scraping down the sides a few times) until creamy. This does have a faint banana taste to it, but that works nicely with the chocolate flavor. To me it’s so much like ice cream I can’t tell the difference.

For Thanksgiving week I thought I'd share some recipes that are easy, delicious and actually make nice hostess or holiday gifts. This first one is a coffee cake recipe I found online and tweaked a bit. It's all made in one pan, doesn't require special ingredients, and comes out absolutely delicious. It's great as a breakfast treat as well as a dessert. My guy loves it so much I make it for him at least once a month. GRANDMA'S COFFEE CRUMB CAKE INGREDIENTS For the Crumb Topping: 3 tablespoons flour ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces Optional: Confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle on top after baking For the Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 tablespoons butter, softened 1 egg 1 cup milk INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan or layer cake pan. 2. In a smal...

For Thanksgiving this year we've invited some guests from Oliver's mom's side of the family, so I have to start prepping now to get the house in shape for the big day. The first major thing is having the carpets cleaned, which we've scheduled for next week. This weekend I'll be cleaning out four rooms to get them ready for that. I started with my front dining room, which I use as my sewing room. It was kind of a mess already, so it felt good to get everything cleared out. We'll be having ten people at dinner plus two babies, so this will give me a chance to figure out how to arrange two tables in this space. I think this will be my last time hosting a big Thanksgiving gathering. Mike has started his family with a lovely girl who has a huge, close-knit family of her own, while Katherine will likely be off at grad school out of state for the next several years. I'm also not getting any younger. My guy and I will always celebrate Thanksgiving, but ...