December

Where has the time gone?? I'm sorry to have been MIA for so long. The best I can come up with is that I have been very busy with Christmas crafting, but I can't share anything yet because the Post Office took about 8 days to ship my package from NY to TN. And they weren't really apologetic about it. Silly PO. But because my family still has yet to receive the package, I can't let you all in on any of my Christmas giving. Yet! But I will!

Other than Christmas crafting, I have just been busy with life. Haven't we all! I finished up my first semester at my new job. I love it. I also love that I get winter break off. I have lots of plans to get some major making done. More details about that in a few.

I've done a LOT of baking. I've made countless cookies. And pies. I started on bread. I made a very yummy molasses oat sandwich loaf. And the Mister asked for a cranberry bread. He loves it and he's not really sharing. It's very yummy and tart. You can find the recipe here. I've also made a few rounds of orange-cranberry scones. I use this recipe for the scones and this recipe for the glaze. They are super easy and super yummy. I've got some mini pies in the freezer waiting to be baked at a later date. And next on my list: pasta! Oh how excited I am about making pasta! I want the mister to make me a drying rack or two. I need to purchase flour in bulk it seems! I'm actually looking into purchasing some things in bulk, such as flour and olive oil. I'll let you know what I decide.

We had a couple of very pretty snow storms but all the snow is gone now. Friday it was near 60 here in the Catskills so we took the opportunity to go exploring. We had to finish up some Christmas shopping so we drove around the reservoir and headed up river, so-to-speak. There was a sign for a yarn shop so we took a detour. The yarn shop was closed but the scenery was gorgeous. The yarn shop was located at the farm, so as close to the source as you can get. I want to go back. I want to live on that road. It renewed my energy to keep plugging away at everything so we can one day have our own permanent homestead on some back road in the mountains.

I've been spending a lot of time with the dog and cat. That's been fun. Bobby Jack received a toy with catnip in it and he's been totally addicted to it. Anna Lee got lots of toys and treats. I received a subscription to Taproot which I'm really excited about. Oh, and I got that yummy knitter's lotion bar by Alicia Paulson, who is one of my absolute favs! That was a total surprise!  I also received that cute cow ornament from my new instafriend, The Little Grey Coop. She is the sweetest.

Speaking of insta, I've been spending a lot of time over there just because it's a lot easier to post one pic and type something witty or quick. But I want to spend more time here in this space. I like this space. I've missed this space. I do like the interaction over on insta, but hopefully we can build this site into something a little more interactive. Or not. I still like it here regardless of whether anyone is reading or writing back.

One of my favorite things that has happened lately is I found a 1964 edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It took my breath away, literally. I was perusing the book sale at one of my local libraries and there it was on the shelf. Front and center like it was waiting for me. I think about all the hands that have touched that book, all the recipes that have been made, both successfully and unsuccessfully. I just love it.

I think that's all I've been doing. I have a lot left that I still want to do. I am looking for a way to upgrade my store and have it more incorporated into my blog, without spending a lot of money. I'm working on new products for the store, both of the knitted and non-knitted variety. I'm really excited about that. I'm almost finished with the knitted variety and will start on the non-knitted very soon. I have lots to make and lots of options. I'm also looking for a good recipe for homemade shampoo. I can't use castile soap because of how my hair reacts to it. But I think I found one that I want to try. Speaking of hair. I colored my hair for the first time in years. Literally, YEARS. I don't know what I was thinking by not coloring it. I feel so much...better. Different. Fresher. I won't color it on a regular basis, but maybe a few times per year should be good. I don't mind a little gray but it was getting out of control.

Okay. I think that's it for now. I'm happy with our December. Our homemade Christmas. The simplicity of it. Other than my package taking FOREVER to get to my family in TN, I would say all-in-all it was exactly what I hoped for. I hope you all had a very good holiday season too. I'll be back soon with lots and lots of details on my christmas making.