It is very cold out, but with rain not snow making a bike ride outside less than appealing today (if it stops for a while, there may be a walk, at least)...
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~ Advent Swap day 25 ~
a dainty bookmark with a very kawaii kitten charm, and a sparkly needle minder were the gifts for today...~ Advent Swap day 25 ~
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wishing joy to all who celebrate:
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I have had good luck over the years with the Nigella Lawson "Christmas Cake" recipe, though instead of the specified dried fruits, I always use a mixture of mostly homegrown or homemade; this year: dried homegrown persimmon soaked in port, homegrown candied quince, homemade candied orange and pomelo peel... I do add in some storebought raisins, (Feral Grape is dreadfully full of seeds and doesn't make good raisins) and some Costco pecans as well. This extra small size cake (I cut the smallest recipe in half, to make a cake that fits my 4" springform pan) bakes for at least an hour or more...
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In the interest of starting the day with creativity, I carved the "Merry Mathoms" stamp I sketched
yesterday, just after breakfast. I am thinking of celebrating "Mathom-mas" on Boxing Day and wrapping up some assorted bits (from the Advent Swap and elsewhen) that truly need to go live with a particular person (that isn't me). One can enjoy the being thought of, can enjoy the spirit of the gift, without necessarily giving it permanent house room... I don't know why re-gifting aka mathom-ing is so poorly regarded, as long as it is done in a way that doesn't hurt anyone's feelings...
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If all goes well, this evening the setting for the pelican regalia pendant will be completed, all the soldering is done, the enamel set, the whole thing polished and packed up to mail tomorrow. Tomorrow is also forecast to be a break in the rain, which will make a trip to the post office easier...
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December SMART goals (x=extra)
| # | THINGS MADE | THINGS FIXED | THINGS GONE |
| 1 | 7 jars quince | kitchen plumbing | old plumbing |
| 2 | dried pears | heat pump installed | old furnace |
| 3 | dried persimmons | return vent vanes | high pitched whine |
| 4 | linen gauze privacy curtains | bedroom register | yard waste bin |
| 5 | tiny peach charm | bike flat tire | recycle bin |
| 6 | 1-wire Laurel setting | restring necklace | x |
| 7 | "merry mathoms" stamp | x | x |
| 8 | x | x | x |
| 9 | x | x | x |
today's gratitudes -
1. rummaging in the chest freezer, I found a container of grated Dry Jack cheese! I don't remember which year it was that we stopped at Rumiano's outlet store in Crescent City when I bought a half wheel to take home, though I do have vivid memories of that trip... Still, the cheese is still perfectly good and a spoonful dusted atop the lasagna made it extra savory.
2. The leftover turkey bones (roulade, the gift that keeps on giving) have made a wonderful broth. Now I am craving chicken cottage pie, a thing I have never eaten...
3. I discovered that using a Talenti Tub to press the layers of paper and parchment into place (when preparing the pan for baking fruitcake) makes that part of the process a lot easier
proto-fruitcake...
Time of Isolation - Day 1271
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