Last posting of 2012

Since it's the last day of 2012, New Year's Eve Day this will be my last posting for 2012. This year flew by so fast. It was a busy year for me, and I didn't get to do much art to share here on my blog. I don't know where the weeks and months went to. As a child, time goes by slowly and as an adult the years just go too quickly.
I thought I would share with you two old periodicals I found in a box in the bottom of the closet in my craft room this morning. I had forgotten that I had them. Years back I bought a large stack of old 1800's magazines for 10 cents each at a library sale. Someone had donated the magazines and the women running the sale didn't know how to price them. Eventually they came up with the price..10 cents for each magazine. I helped them bag up the stack and I couldn't pay for them fast enough and get them to my car. I was so thrilled with my find that day. I guess I need to keep digging thru the closet to find the rest of my old magazines. I really hate tearing them up to use in art projects. I could photocopy the pages to use in my collages I suppose. Do you have that same problem, using one of kind vintage items?
Below are 2 Wood's Household Magazines..cost $1.00 for a years subscription when they were published.
April 1871
July 1872

 
I hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve celebration. We will stay home tonight. No big celebrations for us, but we will probably order Chinese food for our dinner. Like most years lately, I will be fast asleep before the clock strikes midnight and I won't see the ball drop in Times Square on the television.
Elaine

Snow before year's end

Here in southeastern Massachusetts we have had some very strange weather this December.
Yesterday afternoon we got some rain, and then it was a heavy snowy slush mix. Then rain, then snow, and it was only raining when I went to bed last night.
Early this morning I heard the plow go by several times. Drat's it had turned to snow again, I woke several hours later to bright sunshine and everything covered in snow. Not much, 2.5 inches, but enough to make a big mess and to have to shovel the driveway, steps and path to the bird feeders. I'm glad I refilled all of the feeders yesterday afternoon, because the bird feeders are very busy this morning. Lots of cardinals, tufted titmice, goldfinch, downy woodpeckers, chickadee's, junco's, some house sparrows, red breasted nuthatches, doves, blue jays, house finches, white breasted nuthatches, pine siskins and also1 lonely song sparrow.
The trees are coated with a heavy, icy snow and even with the sun shining it isn't melting off. There are branches broken and on the ground. Tree branches are sagging from the weight of the  ice and snow. Pretty to look at, but it is very cold and slippery outside.

Enjoy your last Sunday of 2013.
Elaine

Christmas photos

Christmas Day has now come and gone and soon it will be 2013. We had a wonderful Christmas day spent with family. We ate  dinner with Robin, Steven and Bella and Addie, Robin's mom.

For our dinner Steven  and Robin baked a ham. They also had mashed potatoes, and assorted roasted vegetables. Yum!

Bella was so excited when opening her gifts. So cute at 2  1/2 years old. Below are some of the pictures I took throughout the afternoon.

 

   

    loved the sunglasses  and Brave doll that we gave

crown and princess gown  that we gave worn over her new PJ's

inside her princess tent

    Bella's tree              Daddy's girl   grandpa and Bella

Early evening I went to my parents to spend some time with them, my brother and his family, and cousins.

We didn't get to see Tommy's family as we had celebrated Christmas with them on Sunday. But, the kids were excited to open their big packages to find suitcases..with PACK YOUR BAGS, WE ARE HEADING TO FLORIDA. They were beyond excited.

Tom has a bad back and can't do all the walking so he will stay home and feed the cats as I am joining the grandkids and my son on their Florida trip. I am excited too. This morning I packed my bag and will be ready to leave next weekend.

Have you gone shopping for any after Christmas bargains? I went to a few stores yesterday and this afternoon. I picked up a few things, but no big purchases.

Elaine

Last minute ... Christmas Sugar Cookies

Nothing like waiting until late Christmas Eve day to start making a batch of sugar cookies. I love these soft cookies and always have fun sprinkling on the toppings. I would make the cookies for the different holidays for my boys when they were young.
I have used the recipe below since I was married in 1968. I found the recipe in my new, at the time Betty Crocker cookbook, which by the way is still the cookbook I go to first when looking for a recipe. Many pages are well worn and stained from use.
click on photo to enlarge so you can read the recipe with ease.
Ingredients
The dough for this recipe is heavy, and being in a hurry I decided to use my old electric Hamilton Beach hand mixer that my mother in law gave me before I got married. I should have used my Kitchenaid stand mixer, because the poor little mixers motor was struggling to mix the dough.
ball of dough..1 batch
1 batch dough divided into 2 balls, wrapped in saran wrap and then placed in the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours before the dough can be rolled out.
  a few of my favorite old aluminum cookie cutters from the 40's and 50's. I have picked up most of them in yard sales.
I had all good intentions of baking the cookies last night, but as I was waiting for the dough to chill, I started watching the mini series from the 70's, Roots. I got engrossed in the movie, and the cookies didn't get made until early this morning.
I had to wait for the dough to come to room temperature so I could roll it out. In the mean time my husband and I exchanged and opened Christmas gifts.
the dough rolled out (using my husband's grandmother's old rolling pin) then cut and ready to put on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet to bake.

  trees, Santa, star, circles, bells, chick (my son has chickens and Bella loves her girls)
  just out of the oven
frosted, but not fancy, as I didn't have time.
    I got 35 cookies. Normally I get more, but those gingerbread men were large. 
We woke to a little snow on the ground for Christmas. Pretty, but glad we only got the dusting.
Merriest of Christmas greetings to all.
Elaine

Christmas Celebrations

December is always a busy month, but it is always fun to get together with friends and  loved ones. Starting the month off, on the 8th, we enjoyed a family holiday get together with all the family at my niece's house.
Yesterday we spent the day with my oldest son, Tommy, Kelley and the kids. Steven, Robin and Bella also came. The house was beautifully decorated and the tree was HUGE and was filled with ornaments that had been received throughout the years.
Tommy cooked a wonderful dinner, starting with homemade French onion soup, lettuce wedge salad, prime rib that was so tender, green beans, roasted potatoes, corn and rolls. Then there were so many desserts.
After cleaning up from dinner gifts were opened. Bella was so excited. 
before we ate there was a knock on the door and neighbors had stopped by to sing Christmas carols. How nice.
who put this bow on my head??..Gramma did you do that?



Months ago after Bella saw an ad for the Pixar/Disney movie Brave that has been all she has talked about. Uncle Tommy gave Bella a Brave wand and she loved it.
  playing with Katie's new umbrella
Bella loved the chocolate triffle dessert
Bella and Lily

  I got a walking, barking puppy.
what antlers?

 

I brought a catnip singing bird for Harley and she loved her new toy. Harley has it under her body..you can just see it peeking out.

 

Katie, Bella, Robin

 

  Katie  

 

Kelley and Austin

blinking, tune playing antlers made the rounds
Merry Christmas!