This year is a little different

Not least because the Bean's trying to pull down the tree at every opportunity. It may be because it's been less than a month since my Gran passed (on the 24th anniversary of my Dad's passing no less) and I'm just not feeling organized or like I have any grip on the holidays this year.

Don't get me wrong, we've had the tree trimmed and the lights out for a few weeks now. But the gifting, the baking, the planning to get out and do fun holiday themed things just seems beyond my reach. I need a kick in the butt.

Anyone else feel the same? how do you get the holiday fuse lit?

after

weeks and weeks of clinging symptoms I finally felt well enough to get out and see friends. How fortunate that this was the weekend of the holiday party for Peanut's set of friends and incidentally mine as well.

We trekked to the north shore and into our friends home while light and fluffy snowflakes drifted down and settled on our cheeks like fairy kisses. I know, I know it's a little cliched but I'm leaving it as it is. I like the idea of fairy kisses anyway.

Last week I listed all the things we had done to celebrate the holidays and here's an update:

We baked sugar cookies and butter tarts. (my grandma gave me the super tasty recipe she uses for hers which my great grandma called toffee tarts)

We decorated our gingerbread house, and made more paper snowflakes.

We went out to do some holiday shopping (we limit our time doing this though, shopping in the crowds is too much stress and takes away from enjoying each others company. We went to the local Ikea for a new sheving unit for the living room, a bedside table to pile my mountain of books on and a storage unit for the Peanut's art and craft supplies. These are our gifts to ourselves this year and we can't be more pleased with them.

And of course we attended the Christmas party I mentioned above.

On deck this week:
Stanley Park Bright Nights Train ( a favourite of the Peanut's) more baking (as I type this shortbread cookies are scenting my house), a gingerbread man decorating/ play date with our good friends and a little more shopping (this time at some local businesses) I'll also be attending the public Yule ritual on Saturday this will mark the first time I've attended a public ritual other than for Samhain, usually we're heading out to Alberta to visit family around this time so I'm very excited to add this onto my list of activities.

My posts lately have been a little on the word heavy side and super light on the pictures. I've been neglecting the camera in favour of being a part of the fun. I've taken one or two photos along the way and hope to post some here soon. Also I've been feeling the urge to go all lyrical on you but I'm trying to think of a pithy title to use, I'm open to suggestions.

Cookies

We started our holiday baking this week. We took a special trip to the grocery store to stock up on all the necessities (we still haven't replaced all the stuff that was in the pantry before the fire and the move) and now we're doing a little here and a littler there to make it more an=bout spending time together instead of getting it all done.

The Peanut loves helping to bake and getting her into her little apron and watching her help to measure and stir is lots of fun. We've done sugar cookies so far and decorated a gingerbread house. Next on the list is shortbread or maybe some butter tarts...

Mrs B is holding a cookie book giveaway which couldn't be more timely. I'm entering to win a copy and you should too. Go here to see what's up for grabs.

in other news, WinterGarden on Etsy included one of my photographs in a stormy collection on byhand.me there are some stunning items posted with my humble photograph, go take a look

I am not a domestic goddess... that statement is only half true.

In a fit of holiday frenzy, I pulled out the baking sheets and the big white bowl and started holiday baking. I could say I started the holiday baking but this is the first year that I have baked in earnest for the holidays; and I don't count last years baking, because it was all done in November and was done for the holiday party I held for Miranda's friends and not just for us.

On the baking menu: Gingerbread Men (in Miranda-speak: Gingenbread friends), Shortbread, chocolate chip cookies, puffed wheat squares and rice cereal squares. If I get around to it I'll add butter tarts but since I've mentioned them here that's probably not gonna happen. Today we did the first two and I even had the table and kitchen reasonably cleaned up when we finished too.

It was a lovely morning of mother daughter bonding over cookie cutters and floured forks.

In other news; I had planned on starting a weekly feature called The Same 5 Questions where I would ask an Etsy artist to answer the same five questions that I plan on asking all the feature artists I'd like to promote here.

I shamelessly borrowed the idea from Jane Magazine, they used to have the same kind of feature in the magazine and it was one I looked forward to reading when I got the magazine each month. I plan on varying the questions as time goes on but I've started with some standard questions that I'm always interested in knowing about.

Anyway, what with one thing and another I'm postponing the launch of this feature until the new year. My brother-in-law and Mother-in-law are coming to spend a few days with us next week and there will be a more random posting schedule than my more recent try to post every day schedule. I want this feature to start and continue for the first while pretty regularly and that's going to be hard if I start this week. So this is your first fair warning, look for a new weekly feature, right here in the new year.