Merry Yule Tidings!

Making Gingerbread Men Tonight

Storybook Gingerbread Men

Ingredients

    * 1/2 cup shortening
    * 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
    * 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    * 3/4 cup molasses
    * 1/4 cup water

Directions

   1. Cream shortening and sugar. Sift flour with salt, soda and spices. Blend flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with molasses and water. Chill at least 1 hour.
   2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
   3. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with large 6-8 inch gingerbreadmen cookie cutters. Lift onto lightly greased cookie sheet with broad spatula.
   4. Bake above oven center for about 12 minutes or until cookies spring back lightly in center. Do not overcook, they won't stay soft. Remove from sheets. Cool on wire racks. Makes 10 men 6-8 inches tall.

The batter seemed too dry so I added water. Might be too much now. They are in the fridge, will see how they look in the morning when I get set to roll them out. I have a cookie cutter for gingerbreadmen and a Xmas tree. I plan to use a knife to cut out a pattern for a couple of gingerbread house cookies too.

Christmas Tree by Personality

You Are Blissfully Content

During the holidays, you have a lot to be thankful for. And even if you are having a hard time, you do your best to express gratitude. You are a glass half full type of person. You try to see life as a gift. You believe that it's important to stay positive and peaceful. Not just for your own mental health, but for also for the mental health of those around you. The gift of optimism is the best thing you could possibly give. And you give it well.

The Christmas Tree Test

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Dazzling Bejewelled Christmas Tree

It's past Christmas but this is such a beautiful luxurious Christmas tree I had to post it when I found it today.

From a jeweller called Soo Kee Jewellery.

In 2006, Soo Kee Jewellery, a famous Singapore Jeweler, produced the world’s most expensive Christmas tree (at that time) made out of 21,798 glittering diamonds totaling 913 carats, 3,762 crystal beads and with 456 lights to decorate and make it all bling-bling. Weight almost 3,215kg and really tall, at 6 feet in height, it worth US $1,005,000.

I cut and pasted the above description from the Funny Cool Stuff blog. I couldn't find the tree on the Soo Kee site. I guess it was dismantled once they were done with it.

Late for December Doodle Week

Doodle Week

Finally! The Tree!

Pippi Longstocking Christmas

I was looking for something for Pippi Longstocking and Christmas, thought I might get lucky as I did when I looked for Raggedy Ann and Christmas the other day. I found a nice book cover for a Pippi Christmas story and then I found Sarah's Sketches through another site which had posted her drawing of Pippi. It's charming and the expression on her face is timeless, so much the mischevious child. So I'm posting all my Pippi Longstocking findings and adding the link to Sarah Mensinga's website.

Candy Cane for Doodle Week

I found a candy cane site with recipes, decorations and ideas for Christmas with candy canes. I have drawn these doodled candy canes for Doodle Week.

Christmas Trees for Manic Monday and Doodle Week

For Manic Monday and Doodle Week... The Christmas Trees!

Yo Ho My Tree is Up!

My brother's girlfriend, Heather, was here. They stopped in on the way to North Bay to have Christmas with her family. Heather is noticeably taller than I am. She got my tree up! She made it look easy. She just picked up that middle section which I could not get in though I've been trying for a week, and slotted it right in there. It's all together now and I even found all the light cords to plug into each other. She did the topmost one before they left. So I have a tree! First time I have had a tree up in several years. I will take a photo of it tonight. I just need to get out and buy a new extension cord for it. Rogers Cable used every last one I had here for the cable hook up. Anyway, I am no longer tree-less and all my thousand and dozen ornaments will have a home this year!!!

It is now 9:00 and I have just gotten back from the excursion into the tundra of Barrie to get the cord for the tree. I have put a few ornaments on it but think I will wait for the cord to unthaw before I try plugging anything in. Very bitterly cold here today. I nearly gave up on the trip and came back here. But, I persevered. In the morning I will finish adding ornaments (or maybe tonight once I am unthawed myself). Then I will try the lights and take a photo. I did get one tonight but kind of dark for it to turn out well.

Getting Christmas Jollies

It's that odd time between my birthday and Christmas. Most people have a lot of time between the two, I just have about a week. Just after my birthday I begin to think about doing something for Christmas. I may have done some cards and thought about (or even bought) a few presents. But, until now I really don't think of Christmas as being something I need to do much about. My birthday comes first.

This year I was even going to put up the tree. But, it is a bust. Instead I have to return it to the store and see if they will replace it. Not a great option when I will have to see if I can get a drive over with the tree or bus it. When I bought the tree I took a taxi back here with it. That isn't a great option now that I have to go out of my way to return the damaged goods. Anyway, at this point is there any point to getting the tree replaced or wouldn't a refund be better? Nice to have that cash back rather than having a tree up for a few days. Really disappointing. No wonder I'm feeling kind of burned out about Christmas.

I haven't really, really cared about it since my first Christmas in Illinois when I was a newlywed. I liked having our tree up and putting on all the decorations. It was the last time I put up a tree. Though the tree and ornaments have always been my favourite part of the whole thing.

My brother might be out tomorrow. Maybe he can take me over with the tree and wait to see if I get a new one to try. If the new one is a dud too that will be really aggravating. I don't even have the reciept so they may be nasty and not even

let me return it.

One thing I have learned it the importance of only buying things which you are SURE have not been returned to the store and re-sold. I used to not worry about that very much. Now, after having several things to return lately I will be a lot more careful. No one offers to pay you back the cost of making the return trip with your merchandise which needs to be returned.

Doodle Week starts tomorrow. Hope to see your doodles there!

A Few Christmas Things

 

A few Christmas things. The last is from SuperPets on Facebook. The snowbuny is an application from Facebook as well.

Christmas Spirit Award

Sandee on Comedy Plus was given this award and left it for all the other Christmas types to pick up as they like.

Here are the rules for the Christmas Spirit award:

* You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.
* The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with Christmas.
* You must link back to the person who gave you the award.
* You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space!
* Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But, you must pass it on to at least one person in order to keep the Christmas cheer going!
* Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving them a comment.

Five things I like about Christmas:

1. That feeling of Christmas spirit. It's not something that comes so easily now that I'm not a kid looking forward to time off school, presents and lots of chocolate goodies. Now those bursts of Christmas spirit are a real joy and I appreciate them far more.

2. The Christmas tree. I have not put up a tree since my divorce. This year I have it on the go. The assembly is giving me a lot of trouble and it isn't looking good. But, one of my favourite things about Christmas is the tree with all the ornaments and lights. Each ornament comes with some kind of story, each is special for a reason.

3. I love the lights when you are outside at night. They glow in the darkness. I love the ones with lots of colour but the best shows are often those with just one or two colours, they take my breath away.

4. I miss making snow people. I like seeing those others have made and I feel sorry for the snow people and the families who built them as they melt when the weather changes.

5. Christmas angels are kind of special though not as a religious idea. My Mom and I have a collection of them, adding a new one each year. Now that she snowbirds in Florida every Christmas I'm doing the angels by myself. Feels a bit empty and lost now but I carry on. I still have the original angel which she bought when I was born, December 19th quite a few years ago.

Christmas Flowers

Apparently you can order a whole Christmas tree, complete with lights and ornaments, from Sears Florists. They are all sold out now so I couldn't get more information than the photo on the site. Kind of odd to think of getting a tree that way. What happens to it after Christmas? Can you just return the whole thing to Sears?

I was looking at Christmas flowers. Mainly because I keep seeing ads for them on so many websites and blogs. This one was at Sears too.

Folksy Snowflakes

Eat your Christmas Tree

 

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

What You Will Need:

• Cupcakes, any flavor
• Sweetened Whipped Cream
• Green Food Coloring
• Chopped candied fruit, red

Equipment Need:

• Icing Bag
• Open Star Icing Tip

How To:

1. Whip whipping cream till stiff peaks form.

2. Reserve some plain white icing for the floret border and add a tiny drop of green food color to the rest.

3. Mix the color into the cream very lightly to get a marbled effect.

4. Spread this icing on each cupcake with an icing knife or spatula.

Making the Trees

1. Mix in green food coloring to the remaining icing to make the trees.

2. Fit an icing bag with an open star tip (No. 17 or 18) and fill the bag with the green whipped cream.

3. To start making the trees, pipe out cream in center of the cupcake and bring outwards. For the first few lines, bulge out the icing in the center and then bring out. This will give the base of the tree some height for the other ‘branches’ to stand.

Floret Border:

With the same icing tip and plain white whipping cream, make little florets all around the edge of the cupcake.

Pipe out cream and press slightly on the same place to form a little floret. Make florets close to each other all around the rim.

Decorations:

1. Sort out red colored candied fruit from a mixed pack or use dried red berries.

2. Chop them up and puck into the trees to make tree decorations.

Tips:

Whether preparing for your family or for a party, assembly line is the best way to get these done quick and well. Spread cream icing on all cupcakes first and then make trees on all of them.

Try making the trees and florets on a plate first. Once you get the hang of it, start making them on the cupcakes.

Christmas Trees

Peppermint Christmas Tree - Tree built by gluing candy mints to a Styrofoam cone.

Little Fabric Christmas Trees - Fabric stacked in cone shapes. Makes cute trees.

Button Down Christmas Trees - Tree made of pretty buttons. Cute and shiny.

Can You Tell I Like the Christmas Trees?

Christmas Flash Toys

Snowglobe

Snow Globe Toy & MySpace Layouts at pYzam.com

Decorate Your Blog for Christmas

Have a look at the Decorate your Blog for Christmas plan.