I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. It has been far too long since my last post, so I thought I would start the year off with a more concerted effort in blogging.
My Christmas was quiet/busy but very well organized. For once, I wasn't baking until the last couple of days before Christmas, nor was I wrapping on December 24th! What a switch from previous years.
My Gingersnap cookies, before baking.
Pecan tarts, hot out of the oven.
This was only the start of my baking. I also made Skor shortbread, Rosie's Scrumptious Chocolate cookies (my recipe), Chocolate Truffle cookies and Vanilla Kipferl, a Viennese traditional Christmas cookie.
My beautiful Kitchenaid stand mixer. I couldn't do this much baking without it. It is a gorgeous lavender colour and I have never seen that colour again since.
This is the entire amount of counter space I have in my tiny, cramped kitchen. Hard to believe such tasty things come out of this space. Can you see my sink on the right side? I also have a whopping 2&3/4" (yes, you read that right!) to the right of the sink, before the counter ends and drops off. If I am careful, I can actually balance a spoon on that much counter! I don't know what the architects were thinking when they designed these houses in the 1960's. They certainly weren't cooks!!!! Oh and notice my lovely original, hand hewn cabinet doors of indeterminate wood? Every door looks like it has been hand-planed by Paul Bunyun, with divots and scrape marks and uneven sides. Every single door is a different dimension and the only way I could cover up the uneven surface was to paint them this lovely mahogany brown/red. I actually like the colour. From a distance, (and if you squint your eyes real tight) you might think I had upgraded to a high end cabinet. Ok, maybe not. Notice the open drawer (1 of only 4)? It is so full and heavy with cutlery/utensils that I honestly believe it is the cause of my painful shoulder problems which I have been experiencing for years now and is only getting worse. I could go on, but enough of my rant.
Like everyone else, I ate far too much and am feeling very much like a roly-poly. Does anyone remember those from the 60's? So today, I was determined to start a fitness regime, ONCE AGAIN, and managed to do 40 minutes on my Tony Little Gazelle. I am pinning a lot of hope on my Gazelle, so I am going to try to do it every day. I need results fast!!! My jeans are all a little too "snug", if you catch my drift. They are hugging me where they shouldn't be hugging me. In fact, I don't recall buying jeans that accentuate 3-4 rolls on my stomach! (My last count was 2, so where did 3 &4 come from?)
I haven't posted pictures of my most recent quilt yet, as I haven't gotten it machine quilted yet. That project has taken a back seat to Christmas and the costs associated with that, so I will have to wait to get that done. I will post those pictures as soon as it is finished.
I did, however, manage to sew a few hats for myself and as presents for my sister and Mom. My friend Maureen and I have been doing an annual Christmas shopping day/spree to the small town of Fort Langley for the past 6-7 years and on this trip I found a beautiful hat that I really wanted but of course, couldn't afford. It was a whopping $210. Granted it was made of fine wool and hand made in Canada, but I couldn't justify spending that much so I decided, hey I can make one for myself! Now, I often get these hair-brained schemes to make things myself, even when I have never made them before and sometimes they turn out and sometimes they don't but I am happy to report that this scheme paid off big time!
I had a hard time trying to find a pattern that would work but after much searching, I found a pattern and bought some beautiful Malden Fleece. This fleece is quite thick and sturdy; perfect for hats, so I purchased some and was on my merry way.
The fleece was very easy to sew and the pattern was a breeze, although I modified it somewhat. I made one for myself in a nice plum colour and when I returned to the fabric store to buy more, my hat stole the show. Everyone wanted to see it and asked about how I made it. Buoyed by the compliments, I made a hat for my sister and Mom for Christmas. My sister, by chance, happened to mention that she "Doesn't do Hats", right after I had made hers. On Christmas, she tried it on but decided it wasn't for her, so my Mom came out the big winner and left with both hats. She was very happy.
Here are pictures of the hats I designed/modified. I hope you like them.
This is the grey hat I made for my sister, which she promptly rejected!! (I added flowers to the sides of the hats to give them more flourish).
My plum hat. I used a vintage button to anchor the flower. I love this hat. It is so warm and stylish.
I must sign off now.
I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy New Year. All the best to you.
Rosie
