One Last Time On The Line

A perfect day to put a load on the line, the last time for 2011. Windy and clear, the sheets will be dry within the hour.

Maybe less time if the gale force keeps up like this! Unless........

The Line breaks...Oh well, another thing to put on the list for 2012!

Happy New Year to you all, see you on the other side! xxoo

A Happy Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and perhaps are still enjoying some time off with loved ones. Our Holiday was very nice and we were especially happy and blessed with all of the members of the family attending the Christmas Eve service at church and then back to our home for the gathering.

And this is the blessing that brings joy to my heart...Our daughter, Kami, after 3 rounds of chemo, is feeling so much better. Her strength is coming back, the fatigue is gone and the extreme itching is practically a bad memory. We are so thankful that this cancer can be cured and she will see precious Abe and her 3 other children grow up. - It was a Happy Christmas! Praise God!

The Gift

" The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with Us." Mattew 1 : 23

* Photo Source - Library of Congress

Parting Shot

The tree is finally decorated, at least as much as it's going to get this year. I'm off to put the glitter on the city house and excited about all of the joyous events with the family.

A few packages to deliver for some special neighbors and the dogs and I are off down the road and looking forward to the Mr. coming down too, later this week.

A happy Monday to you all. - I forgot to take a snap of the goodies for you but will share what I will be making this week. xo

Begging Buddies

Jack and Frederick, proving that two heads are defiantly better than one when it comes to getting some of Dads lunch!

Hope you all are having a good weekend! xo

Helper

This is it...the last weekend before the main event, are you ready? I have much to do before I leave on Monday for the city house and can not possibly do it all by myself. Above, is a sweet volunteer who said he would be thrilled to come along to give me a hand. He seems to be eager to get going, so I had better gulp down the rest of my coffee and hop in the shower.

I plan on baking some cookies and other goodies this weekend that I will share on Monday before I pack the car. For now, I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

xo

Peppermint Bark Critique

This sweet journey of mine started from a comment made, innocently enough, by Martha Stewart on a recent show. I had just caught the very end of the segment where she said something like "You had better get your peppermint bark while you can, as it isn't around long!" So the hunt was on...It really made no sense how the obsession took over, as I had never had peppermint bark or even wanted it, but just knowing it may be limited made me a crazed woman on a mission. After looking and looking I finally located it....Only 5 packages left, I grabbed them, then put 'one' back feeling guilty for hoarding (leaving one means not hoarding, right?). I couldn't wait to sample it , my taste buds had already decided what it would be like, it must be wonderful if it was so hard to find and only around for a short time...I tore into the package and took a nice bite, with a glazed look in my eyes, lids half closed and a slight smirk, I let it sit on my tongue to melt a bit. It didn't take long before the sad truth set in, the fact that my brain made a better candy than the well known and highly praised Chocolate maker that will remain unnamed. What to do now?

So here we are, after 3 different tries, I do believe that I have the recipe that the brain told the taste buds about. It ends up being the one that I made with the grand kids. The one above, made for hubby to take to work, turned out well but is missing that one little addition that I will explain below.

Proven Peppermint Bark

Approximately 10 small ( the smallest) candy canes - These ended up tasting stronger than the larger ones.

1 package white chocolate chips

Dark chocolate chips to melt for the drizzle

Dash of vanilla

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This will come together fast so have your baking sheet ready. I used a non-stick but have read you can use veg. spray. Also, take your aggressions out on the candy canes by putting them in a heavy duty gallon freezer bag or double up with a regular one...now take a rolling pin after it until it is in little pieces.

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Empty the chocolate into a heat proof bowl and microwave for 60 seconds then take out and stir, put it back in for 30 seconds and stir...be careful now...put it back in for 20 seconds and take out and stir, if you have a few chunks left keep stirring and see if they will melt out, you may need to put it back in but be careful not to over melt.

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Vanilla, add just a few drops, it makes a big difference but can overpower if you do too much! Stir well.

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Take it to your baking sheet and pour it out, smoothing about 1/8 to 1/4 , I like it thin. Then sprinkle the peppermint by hand to cover.

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Melt about 1/4 Cup of the dark or milk chocolate in the same bowl but it should take much less time in the micro.

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I took a spoon and dipped it in the choc. and just drizzled it over...see the photo above.

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Let cool in fridge for at least 3 hrs. Then break into pieces....Enjoy!

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Email me if you have a question. xo

Favorite Ornament

It has been a full week but I'm finally back to the Little House and putting the last touches on the tree. When I packed up the car, I grabbed a few boxes of our vintage ornaments to bring back and was pleased to see my very favorite one was tucked inside. This horn was my fathers when he was young and always gets a special place on the tree. He would be pleased to see that it is still being enjoyed.

I am making a batch of peppermint bark today for the Mr. to take to work tomorrow...I will try to remember to take some snaps of it to share in the morning. I made some with the grand kiddos this week and it was a real hit.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend, see you tomorrow!

xo

Christmas Breakfast

About this time every year, I start thinking about Christmas breakfast, contemplating the perfect menu, easy but worthy of the occasion. Up to this point it has just been a thought and sadly, ending up actually nothing to write home about. So now I am reaching out to you, my blogging friends, for some of your ideas and actual menus that you might have. If you have something that works for you, please do share.

Looking forward to your suggestions!

Have a great Monday. xo

Photo - Food Network

Sunday Reflections

Lord, even though there are Christmas lights on the chicken coop, we know you are still "The Reason For The Season".

And the rooster says Amen to that!

Jack Frost Nipping

Happy December everyone and a cold one it is in our neck of the woods! Jack Frost paid a visit to us and it will soon be "Looking a lot like Christmas" around the Little House. Last night we put the tree up in it's special spot, after some minor issues (actually not a pretty scene but we won't go into that) with the Chinese made tree stand, which was totally modified by The Mr.

Off I go to get some different lights for the tree as the new, Tear Drop ones that I envisioned looking amazing on our sweet tree, were malfunctioning before even getting on the tree....Yes, I hear you saying "At least they weren't on the tree!"

Have a great day, hopefully the next time I will be able to show off a bit of the tree! xo