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December 31 Happy New Year to my friends! Happy New Year to all my blogging friends both new and old. We've been friends through the year. A year sharing joy, laughter, new births and the sorrows of passing of friends. Some blogs have been funny, some serious, some just giving each other a glimpse of our day to day lives. All your lives and experiences you have shared have become part of me as I've come to know all of you. Hope 2008 will bring us even closer, and also bring into our "fold" new friends we will meet in blog-land.
My new year celebrations are quiet tonight. Not even anything worth watching on TV. Paul went to play cards at a friends. I like my quiet evenings and "early to bed, early to rise"so I stayed home even though I was welcome to come along. I spent a bit of time trying to compose a devotion I offered to do for a church meeting later this week. I may bring it together tomorrow when I am less tired. Right now I'm writing this blog and will blog-walk to a few places until sleep beckons me. (Celebrating with a glass of wine beside)
The whole Island will be celebrating quietly for the most part. We have had a lot of snow fall today and now it is drifting so the roads are not to good for traveling. Many celebrations were cancelled or postponed due to the weather. There must have been a mad dash as it was announced on the radio that the liquor stores were closing early, at 2 pm! I even called my youngest daughter and she and her boyfriend just rented some movies and are staying home, not like her! My other daughter has gone to her boyfriends parents home for the new year as they spent Christmas here. I hope they left early in the day before the weather turned nasty as they had a 2 - 3 hour drive. We'll just have Dad here tomorrow. Not a big meal planned for the three of us. We used to have a big crowd of family in.
Hope you are enjoying the passing of 2007 and the enter of 2008 in your own special way.
"See" you next year!
Hugs, Faye
December 24 Merry Christmas to allf!
Well I am all ready for Christmas! Our stockings are not "hung by the chimney with care" for one reason we don't have a chimney...well on the roof of course or we'd be smoked out but no fireplace to cozy up too. Second...when Chad and Adina were here we made a new custom and opened them all together since the girls had come out for the evening. All other gifts will be open Christmas morning. Chad and Adina at her home and the girls, Paul and my dad here in the morning. Megan came out this afternoon. Her and Paul are having their time together in the kitchen...Paul baking our plum pudding (in the bag) and some other last minute stuff and Megan is making Biscotti a type of sweet hard bread. (I never heard of it 'til she started making it..it doesn't taste too bad either) This is going into an assorted gift package for her boss & wife. It's nice to sit hear at the computer and listen to their small chatter in the kitchen. Both Krista and her boyfriend work 'til seven, they will come here for the night afterwork. Both Chris & Krista have to be back to work mid-afternoon so we won't procrastinate Christmas dinner so they will enjoy the meal with us. I love Christmas Eve service at the church. Part of it is candle light...everyone lights their own candle as the electric lights are turned off. Paul and I don't have any reading or anything so we can relax and enjoy the service. The only thing we are doing will be greeting at the door and passing out bulletins (hopefully that's all I'll pass them and not my cold...I do feel much better...still some tightness in my chest but only couph in spells...so maybe...hopefully I'm not contagious anymore!)
Sending prayers and wishes to all my wonderful blogging friends (yes you!) that you have a blessed Christmas! Hugs,Faye
December 21 Family and holidays Well the time is drawing close! I am ready though...got the tree decorated yesterday...stocking stuffers all wrapped and ready to fill the stockings. I have one present at the neighbours to pick up and wrap for Paul. We were at Canadian Tire and I found another small gift for Paul...but we were going to go through the checkout together. We were talking to our next door neighbour who we chanced upon..as Paul was pulling away I whispered to our neighbour as I slipped some cash in his hand to get this gift for Paul. So I just have to slip over next door when Paul is away/sleeping or something and pick it up. I have one gift that should be ready to pick up at Sears today. I had to re-order an item for my dad as I didn't check the number when I first called and ordered the wrong thing. So other than those two items everything is wrapped and under the tree. We are well known to leave wrapping 'til after we get home from church Christmas eve...so this is early for me!
 Chad, Adina and their dog Lexi came on Wednesday. It is my daughter-in-laws turn to go to her parents for Christmas this year. They will only be staying 'til Sunday. But is great to have some time with them. The girls will come out on Saturday and we'll all open our stockings for a "mini-Christmas" with Chad & Adina. Krista and Megan will be here for Christmas, though Krista won't be here long, she works 'til 7 pm Christmas Eve and will come her to spend the night. She will be here Christmas morning and for dinner before she heads back to town to work late afternoon. She works on-line support...someone has to do it. She didn have Christmas day off but traded with another woman with a young child and had some sad things happen to her the past year. I'm so proud of my daughter as she has seniority and didn't have to do this.
The only damper on Chad & Adina's visit is that all four of us are suffering with various stages of a cold virus. I think I'll head out this morning to work at my home care job as I'm not couphing as much as yesterday...just don't want to give "the boys" this cold but pills have to be put out for the weekend for one of them as no one will be around over the weekend to do it. Then I really have to go to the church this afternoon if we are to have bulletins for Sunday and the Christmas Eve service. I think sitting at a computer and photocopier won't hurt me any...as I'm at the computer at home now and doing just fine. (just keep a box of Kleenex handy!)
Merry Christmas to all now in case this is my last blog before Christmas!
December 17 Christmas Plum Pudding I take for granted that everyone has plum pudding for Christmas...but this isn't so. I am not much for desserts but I do LOVE Plum Pudding! Especially with Vanilla Sauce, the recipe my mom got from her mom and she passed it down to me. Now when we first got married we had to make two sauces as Paul always had a lemon or brown sugar sauce as was the custom in his family. One thing...you must use seeded raisins, which are getting harder to find every year. I family friend went to Florida to be with her son one Christmas, as she couldn't get seeded raisins there she had to bring some from home. Christmas isn't complete to families here without Plum Pudding!
Well of course not everyone can bake or has the time to make their own so my husband, who loves to bake, bakes many over the weeks before Christmas. He used to bake them in juice/ketchup cans but now he has about 1/2 dozen proper pudding pans. Except our own is done in the traditional way...steamed in a cloth bag. I don't care as long as I have it.
From a mold
or Steaming in a cloth bag
Here's a bit of history about plum puddings. I've also included the recipe Paul uses that he got from an older good friend.
A History of Plum Pudding
Why is Plum Pudding called Plum Pudding when there are no plums in it? In the 17th century, plums referred to raisins or other fruits. Plumb is another spelling of plum. Prune is actually derived from the same word as plum - the Latin word was pruna, which changed in the Germanic languages into pluma. But the terms were quite confused in the 16th and 17th centuries and people talked about growing prunes in their garden.
Plum pudding is a steamed or boiled pudding frequently served at holiday times. Plum pudding has never contained plums. The name Christmas pudding is first recorded in 1858 in a novel by Anthony Trollope. During the Puritan reign in England, plum pudding was outlawed as "sinfully rich." Traditionally in England, small silver charms were baked in the plum pudding. A silver coin would bring wealth in the coming year; a tiny wishbone, good luck; a silver thimble, thrift; an anchor, safe harbor. By Victorian times, only the silver coin remained. In England these tiny charms can still be bought by families who make their own puddings. It is also traditional for every one who lives in the household to simultaneously hold onto the wooden spoon, help stir the batter for the pudding, and make a wish.  Machon’s Plum Pudding 1½ cups margarine1½ cups w. sugar 3 eggs 1½ cups molasses 1½ cups fresh milk 4½ cups flour(½ cup to dust fruit) 1½ tsp. salt 1½ tsp. b. soda( dissolve in hot water) 1½ tsp. cinnamon 1½ tsp. nutmeg ¾ tsp. ground cloves ½ cup seedless raisins 1½ cup seeded raisins 1½ cups mixed fruit Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs; then molasses and fresh milk. Measure dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Fold in flour-coated fruit. Put in greased and floured molds with wax paper on bottom. Makes 2 large molds or 4 small and 1 large. Steam for 3¼-3½ hrs. Or... Dampen and flour a bag or cloth. Pour batter into bag and sprinkle some flour on top before tying the bag or cloth loosely. Steam for about 3 hours. Test to see if done. If so, remove from cloth and bag and place on plate to cool some. December 14 Starting to look like Christmas Yesterday Paul and I were finally home together the same day. We were able to begin decorating the house. Paul put the lights on the railing and the cedar bush outside. I got the livingroom reorganized and dusted. Now we have room for the Christmas tree, when we do get it, to put in the window. I am anxious to get this done as Chad & Adina will be coming next Thursday. They will only be here a couple days as they will be at her home in Cape Breton for Christmas this year.
I have to head out to work today. I have left a mess of boxes and bags with more decorations but I'll tackle these tomorrow as I am home again Saturday. What doesn't get done tomorrow will be sent back down to the basement. If the weather holds for Tuesday we will head into town again to finish up our shopping. That will mostly be stocking stuffers and groceries for Christmas dinner.
Tonight when I get home it will be a rush to eat and change. Our Sunday School concert is at 7. Sunday we have the White Gift service to do. It will be nice to get both of them out of the way.Then all our notes for both of these that are scattered by the computer, livingroom table, and kitchen table can be trashed. Once Paul finishes baking cookies and plum puddings (for requests) then I can get the counter cleaned up and put away all his plum pudding pans that have hung around the kitchen for the last three weeks. It's hard to clean around the above stuff and make things look tidy (it doesn't)
Well I guess I better go shower and begin my day! Hope you have a great one.
 December 09 Sunday - 3rd week of AdventADVENT 2
I should be slowing down and thinking more what this season of Christmas really means. I want to relax and pray more and contemplate on the Christ Child and what He means to me. But I am so involved with too much. Since I work part-time I don't get clear cut holidays for one. I am also caught up in the tradition of commercialisim as most of us are. Well how can we deny the giving of presents to each other, the decoration, shopping and wrapping gifts? Being myself as a Sunday School teacher and Paul as Sunday School superintendent keeps us both busy as the Sunday School has the service next Sunday, an event I guess on the United Church of Canada keeps, called White Gift Sunday. (Items of food or toys are wrapped in white paper or white envelopes of money are recieved as an offering during the service and these are distributed to the food bank or other local charity.) Also next Friday is our Sunday School concert. So I am to try to get some lesson today (it is sad but some kids do not even know that first Christmas story) and also get some practice in. Through the week we will have to plan a practice in the sanctuary also. I still have gifts to buy and wrap for my Sunday School kids. Some don't agree on Santa in our church but it has been happening for decades and the kids look forward to sitting on Santa's lap and recieving a gift from him. As much as I consider it a responsibilty to teach Sunday School, Paul and I both feel stressed and have discussed leaving these roles come the spring when this session is over. Years ago Sunday School was before Church but now it is during church so we don't have many opportunities to participate in the service or just sit back and enjoy worship. It also stresses me, as I take my role as Sunday School teacher seriously, and spend anywhere from 4 - 8 hours of my week in preparation for the lesson. I know most don't but that's just the way I am and can't seem to break it. Am I getting too old? (I hate that phrase) or am I just going through a phase that is connected by a change in my hormones (Yes I am "that" age) Anyone else feel stressed and feel the need to slow down? Will this pass and I will some day want to take on responsibities again in the future, I don't know. I feel selfish wanting more time to relax. I love teaching, I love the kids...but...
December 05 Another snow day Tuesday So we got more snow! I guess this winter won't be like last year where we got hardly any snow. So far we've had two this month. Yesterday was really stormy, though some of the snow here came as rain for a bit. We got lots of wind and much of the Island had their power out and still does. I had lots of water run off in case but we were lucky and didn't lose ours except for about 20 minutes. This was just as I was ready to blog-walk. There was a lot of flickering though through the day so I didn't get back on the computer except to print off my Christmas Card list.
I got the house tidied up then began organizing my card list and got some down. In the afternoon I gave in to mid-day sleepy spell and had a bit of a nap, read a bit then made supper. Today I have to head out to work. Just hope the roads are not too bad, no drifting I hope out the shore road. The radio said there is ice under the snow so to be careful. I assume the other women didn't get the guys out for there groceries, she has much farther to travel then I and besides the plows were called off some of the roads yesterday. I'll give the guys a call before I leave and if they didn't get their groceries yesterday I'll get their groceries on the way. Hope their lane is clear or I'll had to carry as much as I can up their long country lane.
 We were supposed to get another one tomorrow but that forecast has changed to just a few flurries. Well wish me luck on the roads today as the shore road is very unpredictable. The wind comes off the water there and many times there are whiteouts when it looks fine at home. This is what I hate about winter is driving on poor roads. I wouldn't mind if I could just stay home for the whole winter!
Well if you have poor weather where you are take care driving if you have to go out. December 01 Snow...please not today! The title of this blog was put in early this morning. The reason why I didn't want it to come as predicted was because we were having our annual Seniors Supper for the communtiy today. But since this morning....after getting the tables all set up for about 75 people, and take outs of about 30...our first snow of the year...turned into a real blizzard so we postponed it til tomorrow. Anyway, one of my jobs was to deliver some of the takeouts. I didn't look forward to getting in and out of the car in this weather!
So I got my Sunday School lesson done...possibly the weather won't be cleared up 'til noon tomorrow and this will be canceled too! If so I'll just use this lesson next week with a bit of tweaking to cover both weeks. If we have the supper as planned tomorrow I won't be getting my brush into my hand another day. I could be doing it now but my blogging friends come first! Thursday, a day off work for me, Paul and I went to town. He had a Dr. appointment and we got some Christmas shopping done, a beginning anyway. (I hate shopping)
So this is our first snow of the year...usually we get a small snowfall...just to get "in the mood" but it came with a blast early this morning! Two weeks ago I was racking leaves! We knew last night we might get this so we brought in some wood which worked out well. We are nice and cozy and if the power should go off we'll have lots of wood for the wood stove. I hate it when I can't make a cup of tea!
I guess I sound soft with my weather complaints compared to what my friends in western Canada and some of the states have. You guys have had snow for awhile and I know Sask. has been bitterly cold...brrr.
Have a great day wherever you are and whatever your weather is like!
Winter is here in Eastern Canada...sigh
Homer doesn't seem to mind at all, he wouldn't come in and just laid out with the snow blowing in his face! |
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