{Hospitality at Home} ~ Thanksgiving Dinner

We had dear friends of ours over for dinner!

Since it was a small dinner party,

we roasted a Chicken instead of a turkey! 

Yummy salad from our guest,

homemade cranberry sauce, organic apple sauce, 

hot apple cider.

Raw and cooked broccoli, feta cheese, green salad.

Water, Sweet Potatoes...

Raw carrots, stuffing, goat cheese, cran-raisins, 

Sweet potato with cranberries.

The Chicken! 

Mashed potatoes...

A lovely meal...

OJ and honey glazed carrots...

*

We have a lot to be thankful for! 

It was a beautiful Thanksgiving Day!

{Preparing for Christmas} ~ our Christmas Tree came early...

While originally planning on finding a 

Christmas tree a bit later this week, 

Mr. Husband had found one in mid-November

and after I did some research 

and emails with my beloved husband,

I ordered one. 

It's fairly lovely I think, apartment sized too

is my guess and I hope to put it up 

when I planned in early December!

*

While some seem overwhelmed by my 2014 Nativity Planning list,

it's really a list to keep me on track

and to help me not try to do too much on one day!

*

I am glad that today, November 29's task, 

is already done:

"November 29: order a Christmas ornament for our Christmas tree.  Find lights to put up in our kitchen and living room."

*

I've been on a saga to find my coffee grinder for spices.

In this saga it has led me to overhaul and finish unpacking our closets.

Which means I know where all our Christmas things 

(including lights!) are now. 

I finally found the coffee grinder, of course it was in the very back of a kitchen cupboard...

Now I can make Christmas Tea!! 

*

Meanwhile, I am excited to put up our tree DV in December!

A New Song and More Blanket Stripes

I am finally making some real progress on 

the blanket!

At least three more stripes are needed before

I can work on a boarder.

As you can see, I am still on a Jan Karon kick!

Finished book # 3, don't yet have book # 4 so am reading 

#5 instead which is A New Song

I am pleased with the 'textured look' of this blanket...

My goal is for it to be a long lap blanket to sit curled up in

when reading a book and drinking tea.

What are you reading and creating?

Yarn Along with us!

{Hospitality at Home} ~ A lovely Autumn Tea

We have a lovely tea the other day!

Chicken Salad, bread, scrambled eggs (my friend made them

with only butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder, were lovely),

salad with cranberries and goat cheese,

butter cookies from friend, chocolate chai and lady grey teas.

A new favourite. 

Just right! 

Grandma's dishes.

Apple Cake!

Farmers market salad.

The loveliest cookies.

I will be missing this in the Nativity fast 

but a great dish for later! 

I do hope to bake bread again soon!

We enjoyed some lovely cream with tea.

*

This week I will be busy making a Thanksgiving dinner

at home with a couple of close friends.

*

I am thankful for all of these blessings! 

{Baking @ home} ~ Apple Cake in Autumn

One of the stars of a tea I had recently with

a newer friend was

an Apple Cake that I made for the first time last year. 

This cake has been shared with two familes and

Mr. Husband and I are going to enjoy the rest of it

in this last week before the Nativity Fast!

I made it for my friend's birthday and was just 

tickled that she had some of it on her actual birthday.

It's a lovely cake. 

{baking bread} ~ First time making cranberry orange bread in our new home

My new measuring cups are getting lots of 

good use!

This is the bread that I baked

last week when I went to practice

highway driving for the second time.

The yeast bloomed well and rose nicely!

And I remembered to score the tops!

Mr. Husband and I enjoy this toasted

with jam.

I froze the second loaf in preparation for a friend

coming to tea.

Recipe here and here.

{Cooking at Home} ~ Chicken Salad with Grapes & Cran-raisins

I had a newer friend over for tea

and I made a lovely

chicken salad.

Inspiration for this came from three places:

1. My Mother's recipe.

2. This one

3. And this one.

Cooked chicken thighs, about three of them, cut up.

I used about a cup of half mayo / half sour cream,

a cup of grapes sliced, half cup of cran-raisins, salt, pepper,

1 tsp lemon juice, egg shell pasta cooked, mixed in at end.

It was quite delightful! 

A Light in the Window, GKC & Blanket Stripes

My textured Blanket is progressing!

I admit to feeling impatient with it,

as it feels like I am never making the progress 

I mean to make!

But I have done a few stripes since last week

so am pleased with that...

And I am pleased with how it is going

and think it will be a great and warm

lap blanket!!

I am on a Jan Karon kick.

Explains how why my wish for 

even more blanket progress 

is not happening! :)

I am just enjoying the Fr. Tim saga a lot;

I read it years ago and it is a joy to reread;

I am finding it a lovely cheery and bright place to be.

*

Also reading The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton

for an Advent Read along with

dear blog friend Mimi...

So far the book seems very much classic Chesterton 

and very well written.

*

What are you making and reading?

Yarn Along with us!

{Around the House} ~ Amish Quilt: a gift from Mr. Husband's parents many years ago

A while back I heard Mr. Husband 

mention that his parents had

given him a quilt to celebrate his 

long years of scholastic achievement and completion.

That this quilt was made by the Amish in Wisconsin

and was subtle,

a trompe l'oeil ... you either see it all or

see nothing but a blue sheet...perhaps 

seeing that is a quilted blue blanket...

Subtle it is but sublime in it's 

beauty, wreathed with many flowers!

A beautiful boarder.

A Stunning Centre.

A beautiful thing for a Bridge of now

two years to discover in her husband's possessions

newly unearthed!

The artistry, the detail and design is first rate.

A lovely bedspread for winter time,

and my beloved husband's favourite colour.

I am so glad to be married to my 

beloved husband and make

a beautiful home for him!

*

Finding this most thoughtful gift 

from his parents was just delightful!